Tag Archive | Spinning

A winter project

Here is a little project I have been working on occasionally this fall. I have not quite decided what it’s going to be. right now I am just playing. I also posted this to Ravelry so if you are a member there you may have seen it. I am using the Multi looms because this is sock weight yarn. I bought it at OFFF and have the label somewhere, I’ll look it up. It is hand dyed superwash wool, that I do remember. But after weaving a couple 6” squares, I knew I was going to get bored before the entire large skein was done so got the idea to make 6” squares using the other sizes. I have not run out of options yet. And have not decided if I am going to involve the triangles or not. As you can see I have also not done anything with the tails either. But it is kind of interesting to see how close to the original 6” I can get. The top center block was put together by sc each side and then slip stitched the two sides together. I like how that looks but found that it makes the block just a tince too wide and with more than one seam it makes them way too wide. That could be compensated for by working an edging around the outside of the block but I decided to go with a narrower join, just one row of sc. I chose this dark maroon yarn because I thought it toned the red & green down a bit and also being a bit smaller yarn the seams would be a little less bulky. It’s already been redone once and is still subject to frogging. And I expect it’s going to be a long time finishing. 🙂

4×6 & three 2×2
4×6 & 2×6
Three 2×6
2×6 & three 2×4
One 6”

Tri looming

Oct20

There’s been some discussion on Facebook about making tri jackets and sweaters. I made this one years ago, before it began getting too small, those gremlins will keep doing this! Anyway here’s more or less what I did, using my adjustable triangle. These measurements are taken from the aged and much worn garment so are probably not too close to what it started as but will work as a guide since you’d have to make your own size decision. It will show how I put it together in any case.

Front: The large plaid tris are folded over at the shoulder front and back and the tip is folded back to make a cuff at the sleeve. The lines don’t always coincide with the photo but I think you can follow it. The one marked 10 inch is a small tri folded at the under arm to finish the sleeve. The points of the blue tris are folded under, the hypotenuse of those forming the hem front and back.

Back: The plaid tris are seamed up the back to about 5″ from the fold over, you’ll adjust that to fit you. The front opening and neckline are finished with a row of single crochet and one of reverse sc or crab stitch. This fit me pretty well back in the day. If you have a more rounded figure it may tend to hike up in the back a bit. I’ve gone to using the smaller looms as it gives me a bit more control over fit but this ought to be good for slimmer figures or for children.

I have a photo of myself wearing this but I don’t have a clue where it is. If I find it I’ll come back and add it. meantime, I hope this little bit of info is helpful to anyone wanting to make use of some nice handspun or even nice “store=bought”! 😉

Our Summer Trip

Jun23

We’re home again. Two weeks on the road is at least a week too much! lol We had a great time and met lots of people and made some new weavers and increased the stash for some others. Here’s one weaver who brought her project to BSG to share. Love that! Also the one from last year at OFFF. Pat Cane does some extra by weaving in strands of the opposite colors to blend her triangles very cleverly together. Isn’t it lovely?! I love seeing the projects you all weave!

I made a new doll dress with squares I wove demoing the looms here at the show, too. And met another Dolly weaver who bought my pattern book. Nanette has promised to share when she gets something made for her Granddaughter! Here’s mine.

But besides the two shows, Big Sky Fiber Festival in Hamilton. Montana and Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon, we visited the country along the way. I have so many pictures I could not possibly share them all but here’s a few. What a beautiful country we live in!

On our way up we stopped at an alkali lake in Eastern Oregon. A “rain” storm and a sunset.

Then we picnicked on top of the world in Montana.

On the way back we camped in a great park on a lake near Sandpoint, Idaho.

And I almost got a photo of the paddle wheeler on the Columbia Gorge coming home, on the border of Oregon and Washington. We were in Oregon, looking back at Washington across the way. I took this out the truck window across the railroad tracks.

We had a great trip but, as always are glad to be home. the garden has gone wild with summer coming on so will have some catching up to do there and are working hard to get orders shipped out as well. Randy has looms to make and contractor jobs to do as well. But we’re home now until September…

Hope your summer is filled with fun and not too hot!

On a role!

Apr20

I was hunting something in Le Shed and found a box of demo shapes woven at fiber fairs and am putting them to work. Got out a sewing pattern for a vest and started putting shapes together. Not exactly free form but at least random. It will be another colorful bit of clothing. Got both fronts mostly together and will start on the back this afternoon. Goes pretty fast since the weaving has already been done, just a matter of laying it out. I think this time I’ll just crochet in whatever little missing bits I might need.

But first I have some shop work to take care of as someone is waiting for their looms. Go get out your UFO’s and start putting something together!

October already!!

Oct8

Well, Sorry I’ve been so slow posting here. We’ve been to OFFF, had nice weather this year, and nice crowd, did well, met lots of interesting people, took the long way home, calling it a vacation and here we are again. Himself has gone off for the week to help a friend re-roof his Mom’s house so Cori and I are In Charge here. She’s a little confused and just a bit worried. Didn’t want to come in Monday night, but finally had to come eat dinner, then wanted out again but he still hadn’t returned so agreed to come in at last but spent the evening watching the kitchen door. She was better last night. She likes me but she’s not my dog. lol

Meanwhile, on the fiber front, I’m knitting at the moment. Working on a Christmas gift. I bought the yarn in April but am falling behind, as usual, as other projects also need doing. And one that really didn’t need doing. Himself found in the trash at OFFF this great wad of fiber, someone’s very beginning spinning, maybe a child’s even as there were two colors involved. It was very little spun, from thread size to fatter than my thumb. He was shocked that anyone would throw away something that cost as much as $5 an OUNCE! (He’d been looking at a neighbors booth and noticed some roving at that price and was shocked at that, too. This is the guy who paid $30 for a rusty old wood plane on eBay!) He gave it to me asking me if I thought it would be usable. So not being able to settle into anything the other evening I re-carded and re-spun his ‘find’ and presented him with a 1.8 oz skein of soft wool yarn. He felt justified. 😉

Have not started to wash my fleece. I bought a pound of mohair at OFFF to blend with it to make the kid fleece a bit stronger, I hope. Did I say I bought a Navajo Churro kid fleece? I want to try my hand at a little Navajo type tapestry weaving. Very basic and simple. It will be awhile before I get to that, I’m sure. Have to do a little research first. And some spinning, of course.

And I’ve been making lists of projects I need/want to accomplish this winter. Yikes! The winter better be long one! lol Well, I have my book, Weaving For Your American Girl Doll ready and will get it on the web page soon. The projects fit most any 18″ girl type doll. They start out with just the 4″ Multi square, as that is the most common sized loom people have, I think, and then there are more complicated projects, too, using more than one loom. Some you’ve seen but there’s new ones, too. I have lots of patterns to write up, people have been asking for them. It’s laborsome work so I keep putting it off, but it’s on The List now so…

Okay, there are projects to finish and I will get to them, but those two white buckets in the photo with Cori are full of wind fall apples that have to be tended to first. And because the sow bear and her cub cleaned the tree of all the good ones, these are all I have this fall so don’t want to lose them. And the tomatoes are still producing. Well, you know how it goes, but I will get back to weaving soon. Hope you’re making progress on your projects!

Hazel Rose

My Life in the Country