A Sheep In Wools' Clothing

Christmas Stocking

For 24 years, I've been knitting stockings for my four kids, a DIL, a stepgrandson, mother, etc.  I've never made myself one, until Cat Bordhi designed one last year for her grandson, Charlie.  Charlie's stocking has treat pockets for reindeer and Santa treats, which have disguised the instep increases quite nicely.  It is felted, using chunky weight yarn, on size 11 or 13 needles.  It is a very quick knit - I think mine was done in two days, and the third day I worked in the ends pre-felting.  It took another week to get around to felting it.

Details:
Pattern:  Charlie's stocking
Designer:  Cat Bordhi
Yarn:  Spunky Eclectic Big Ball sweater yarn in "Grinchy" and "Killer Tomatoes"
Needles:  Knit Picks Harmony, size 11

Bar Harbor Shell Bag Pattern

By request by a non-Ravelry member, the link for the pattern for my Felted Stained Glass Fan Bag is posted!  LOL  Sorry about that - I, too, came across this pattern following links on someone else's blog, so here it is.  Have fun!

Stained Glass Bag

I have another project I started in August, but has been hibernating since.  I used it for traveling knitting, so it is essentially done.  Thanks to delays, long flights and long waits.  I found the pattern through following links on someone's blog.  (I have the project uploaded into Ravelry, so find me under knitmd to link to the pattern source).  I really find that for me, the beauty of Noro yarns is in projects designed to be knit in small areas which are interconnected.  That seems to use the longer color runs in Noro yarns to their best advantage.  I just need to finish up the very bottom, knit the straps, and felt it.  I'd like to line this one with a multi-pocketed lining to keep all my purse s&*t organized.

I love the way Noro colors work out in this one - Muggles always can't believe it is knit from a single skein which changes the colors on its own....I just heard at Fiberphilia last week that Noro is introducing a sock yarn.  All sorts of geometric sock designs are coming to mind - mitered squares, rectangles, etc, done in little pieces, attached to one another for the whole.

Short Row Felted Mittens Finished

I finished these a week or two back, but didn't get the post-felting photo up until now.  DS, Kille's Brother Gamma, is now 15 and has grown considerably since I last knit him mittens.  The weeks of subzero weather we've had this year tilted the scales in favor of him asking me for mittens to keep his hands warm.  Felted ones are perfect for this sort of weather!  This pattern I particularly like, as the back of the hand utilizes short row shaping to give a natural curve to the finished felted mitten.  That makes them more comfortable than the regular shaped mittens in felted material.

Specifics:
Yarn:  Sheep Shop Two
Pattern:  Fiber Trends Shaped Felted Mittens
Needles:  Knit Picks Options Size 11
Felting:  Two cycles in a front loading machine

More Pre-felted Objects

These little numbers were supposed to be Christmas presents (sorry DS#2 otherwise known as Kille's Brother Beta, and DDIL).  The knitting got done, amazingly, but the felting did not - at least until tonight.  They are currently in my washer in a magical transformation.

Project details:
Yarn:  Needful Yarns "Joy"
Pattern:  Lucy Neatby  "Origami Bags"
    (Techniques used in the pattern include provisional cast-on, unattached & applied I-cord)

These were very quick, easy and fun to make.  Their purpose is to hold iPods, hanging from one's neck, in order to keep them from falling out of pockets when leaning over, and for tucking the earbud cords into, thus preventing large dogs (of which I own several) from catching their feet in the cords and tearing them out of someone's ears.

Post-felting photos to follow.

I Really DO Knit and Spin

I really do actually knit and spin!  I know it doesn't appear such since the beginning of the year, but it is coming along!

Up tonight are two recent objects :  a felted (to be) bowl using three colors of yarn, one of which was handpainted, and a linen stitch to blend the color bands, and a pair of felted mittens using a Fiber Trends pattern.

First, the bowl.  The bowl needs a name, and I'm open for suggestions, but perhaps it needs to wait for the naming until after the felting.  I took a class at Michelle's Place (Fiberphilia)  from my pal, Virginia (alas, no blog, but we may convince her to share).  The pattern I think is Virginia's own, with all sorts of little tricks she has incorporated into her felted things she has picked up here and there.    Hopefully, there will be cousins to this one soon to be created - Virginia had a lot of nice shapes to her bowls!  This bowl was knit with two strands throughout, but used four strands at the rim to give it more sustenance.  She used linen stitch to blend the handpaint into the solids before and after it, sometimes using two strands of the same color, and at others, using one strand of each color.  I am hoping to felt it tonight, so I'll shoot after photos at that time, with the same supervising sheep (the fellow in the checkerboard coat).

Next up, some mittens knit of Sheep Shop Two (a bulky handpaint with short runs of color, on Uruguayan yarn like Manos or Malabrigo.  I used a fiber trends mitten pattern that utilizes short rows on the back of the hand, so felted, there is a curved shaping to the mitten in a more natural, therefore more comfortable, shape.  With the number of subzero nights and wind chills to -35 we've had in the past three weeks, and the Nor'easter today (wonderful snow falling now), DS the youngest (also known as Kille's brother gamma) needs new mittens.  He's grown over a foot since I knit his last pair, so these are WAY overdue!  I just need to add the thumbs on tonight, then off to the washer they go along with the bowl!

Post-felting pictures to follow VERY soon!

Two Finished Objects

I actually do knit - when I am not distracted by tangents like work, mundane tasks of living, and learning about different spinning fibers and their characteristics (did I tell you I found some raccoon fiber on eBay to spin?).

I have two finished objects finished early this morning - a Klein bottle hat - a freebie pattern from Knitty this past summer, where the outside becomes the inside and the inside becomes the outside.  It is a pattern designed by a mathematician knitter, based on a theoretical mathematical model of a continuous surface object - a sort of 3D moebius if you will.  I was charmed by the fact that she figured out a way to knit the mathematical object, and so I had to knit one.  My DD even decided to do one for herself, and put me to shame because she finished it in less than 24 hours, while mine sat largely ignored for four or more weeks!  And all while she claimed it was impossible to knit in the round on two circular needles (ha - I slipped that one in one her!) - I started it and did about two rows then handed it to her.  She magically picks it up and does all the rest without my input, including grafting the inside stub of the tube to the outside tube.  I used stash Malabrigo I had for this one, and it winds up being a double layered hat, so it will be quite warm and soft for our Maine winters.  DD also used stash Malabrigo.  If I were to do this one again, I think I'd use Sheep Shop Yarn in their wonderful colorways.....

The next object is some of my Christmas knitting - I'll entertain guesses as to what it will be (the knitting is finished but it isn't) because I am not certain whether the recipient(s) read this often.  There will be four more of these before Christmas, along with other stuff.  This is a Lucy Neatby pattern I got while I was in Halifax in September, using "Joy" by Needful Yarns on Size 11 needles, so quick knitting indeed and nice colorways.

More Finished Objects

I got the Bubble Bag felted last night.  This is how it looks after two cycles in my front loader.  I may send it through one more time, but it is looking pretty good right now.  Again, the photo is taken with the sheepy tape measure on it for size reference.  I still haven't found my beaded embellishment I bought for the top of the bag.... must go digging!  I used Donegal Tweed and Odyssey (variegated) for this bag.

The City Side Button Bag has all the knitting portion done. It is photographed on the blueberry fabric that will make up  the lining.  I need to do the sewing machine part in making the lining for the bag itself as well as lining the strap so it doesn't stretch out, then sew those in/on.   I do have the button flap and the button attached already.  The bag used three skeins of cotton - one for each side of the bag, and the third skein was used for the strap and the button flap.

And so, I continue on my finishing binge.  Tonight, I am returning to my entrelac scarf from handspun, handpainted wool acquired as an eBay auction to benefit Katrina victims last fall.  If there is sun tomorrow, perhaps I can get a more accurate photo of the wonderful colors in that yarn!

Another Finished Object

I have started a roll of finished objects. Wednesday morning I finished the Watermelon socks.  This evening I finished my Bubble Bag - at least all but the felting.  I made the straps longer than the pattern called for, since I like shoulder bags.  The bottom of the bag is in the green Donegal Tweed alone, without the  Odyssey carried along.  I was running short of the Odyssey, and had to redo the bottom anyway to correct the decreases.  The handles start and end with the Odyssey carried along, and in the mid-sections are again the Donegal Tweed alone.  Somewhere, I have an embellishment to put on the front after felting.  I just have to find out where I stashed it.... I put my Lantern Moon sheepy tape measure on the bag for size comparison when I get a post-felting photo taken!

Tonight's project(s) are spinning two batches of dog fur carded with wool.  One is black Newfie fur from my friend - she'll be able to knit herself a hat or scarf from her dog fur.  The staple length in that dog is 2-3", so not too bad.  The other is the undercoat of my DD's rough coat collie.  His undercoat has a staple of 4-5" or better, and is a pale tan.  I'll card it in with some wool I have as well, and perhaps there will be a fiber present for her upon her return from Nova Scotia and the French language immersion program there....

Bubble Bag

Hello.  My name is Dianna and I am a fiberholic.  'Nough said.

The other day, I was teaching my Queen Kahuna sock class, and my DD came with me.  She forgot her knitting bag.  Convenient of her, wouldn't you say?  She drove me batty with her boredom.  I finally sent her around the shop to find something to knit.  One thing DD is good for always in a yarn shop is yet another scarf, or yet another bag.  Especially felted bags.

This is the felted bag that DD found on this particular occasion.  Knit on 10.5 & 15 needles, carrying one strand of Donegal Tweed in gray and one strand of Odyssey in blues/brown/gray together, it is a quick knit.  Fourteen rows of garter stitch, a decrease round, an increase round, stockinette to make 12", then decreasing, a three needle bindoff, straps and felting.  We even found cool beaded embellishments to put on.....

The one above is DD's version.  She did 14 rows of SS instead of garter, for a rolled top.  Here is my unfelted version with green Donegal Tweed and Odyssey in color 404.  For both of these, the beaded embellishments were multihued, and happen to pick up on the extra colors in our yarns....