De-stashing

As I grow older, I know there is no way I can knit all the yarn or spin all the fiber stash in my closet.  I also believe those items multiply overnight!  This week I’ve been de-stashing!  Some yarns have been stock piled for 30+ years ain’t no way I’m suddenly going to use it now.  If it wasn’t touched in those 30 years, going bye bye!  I loaded up two large bags of yarn, took it to charity shop for someone else to hoard for 30 years! 

Same as fiber—I’ve tried to turn it over as fast as my wheel will turn but it’s not fast enough to empty one bin.  Part of me wants to keep all this lovely stuff to finger and part of me wants to give it away.  I found a whole fleece that needs to be dyed—that could be another day’s adventure!  Surprisingly, I find all sorts of fiber I forgot I had—

As to quilt magazines!  Going through that bin, I discovered quilt magazines going back to 1994!  Quilters in those days used templates—today there is a faster easier way to build a top.  I bundled up those magazines and handed them off to charity shop too. 

I think there is something funny going on in my yarn closet!  Those leftover balls of yarn keep multiplying!  

With these few balls, I'm working on another hat--easy to knit while relaxing or watching TV show.

Years ago, we called this a gap cap--we'd seen some at the Gap Store (does store still exist?)  Take two yarns together, cast on 80 or 88 stitches and knit!  That's it!  Just knit!! till you reach the length you like, start decrease--knit 6, k 2tog one row, then knit;  Continue to the decrease reaches crown; k2tog. pull last few stitches together and tie off.  Add a pom pom--that uses more yarn!!

I also found some "peaches and cream"cotton  yarns in the yarn closet==decided to knit some of those Grandma dishclothes! Easy to knit.

No one knows who wrote this pattern originally but it's such a simple basic pattern for all who knit and love dishclothes. I have many variegated yarns so this is perfect pattern!  Also, lots of hand spun cotton—perfect for this pattern

I begin my pattern on double pointed needles, using variegated hand spun cotton

Then switch to long circular needles—I like to use tablet for pattern notations

Finished!  Ready for bathing or kitchen scrubbing!

This one is designed by The Kitchen Sink and will work well with my solid color yarns

For years, I loved knitting Kris Knits patterns-- but I have most of her patterns and love them to this day.  I like using my handspun cotton yarn for patterns--I hold two 2 ply together--it makes for a really nice size cloth and since it's handspun you can't go wrong with one of these as a gift!

As to de-stashing, that’s a never ending job!!

Step Two

 Now it's time to make those dyed backing fabrics work!

First dyed backing!  I love the look of mottling!  

I love star quilts!  This wasn’t a planned project—r found these 3” squares already cut don’t know for which project (I need to label) anyway, stars came to mind!  There are 24 blocks, each bordered by 2.5” dyed strips. 

All the fabric came from my scrap bin—somehow, the scraps aren’t diminishing; just seem to grow!!

There were 24 blocks--so it's a very long quilt for a tall person!

My friend claims she doesn’t have a scrap bin—she’s fairly new at this quilting scheme—she buys new fabric—

Here is her latest project on quilter frame.  

Her quilting is quite good on the long arm—some day soon she’ll have a scrap bin to dig through!  

Two more quilt tops for blue backings—onward we go!!

PHD

Doctor of Philosophy is one of the PhDs I hold! Didn’t know that, did you? I can be philosophical about almost anything! So today, while the house is quiet and spouse is out mending fences ( yes! He is actually mending fences on our daughter’s property—which is a story in its self!)  I’m sitting in my comfy chair philosophizing—with myself, of course! Being philosophical doesn’t work unless you have someone to share those taunting thoughts with. So, there is me, myself and I who are listening—well maybe! My thought process today consist of “should I” “or will I”! It’s constant tug of war with myself……..finally, myself gives in to get out of my chair, grab cup of coffee, take myself to the studio to begin…we’ll go back to philosophizing next time I sit in my comfy chair!

To work on my other PhD! It’s a real challenge!

Tossing out this Challenge today--will you take it up?

For the month of June, I'm taking up this project to complete at least ONE

half done project!  What will it be?  Hard to choose with so many PHDs waiting in the wings.

Warp my loom?

Ply my yarn? 

Sew some pinks?

Make three or is it six blocks for Pat Sloan’s last quilt?  

Soooooo many PhDs to chose from!!

Really???!!! How can somebody do this? I always say, “Somebody lives in Florida” not here!  This will be the first PhD tackled!!

Dyepot—Step One

Dyeing 101–don’t make a mess!  Learn from my mistakes— you’ll make different mistakes!  I have horror stories—like the time we were in a naturally dye workshop.  The instructor was making up an indigo batch, she sat the jar aside, without the lid, and when she turned back to add to the jar, she knocked it over!!!

The indigo dye went everywhere!  Even hit the ceiling somehow!  To this day if you go into that room and look up you’ll see an indigo dyed ceiling tile! A very pretty blue tile!!  

Today I’m dyeing with a union dye (Rit).  DON’T!! Dye in the kitchen!!

 A union dye will penetrate most fibers but if in a powder form can travel many miles even in no wind!

You will find little speckles of dye even though you thought you were careful! 

I need three backings for quilts and blue is a good color for those three tops.  I scrunched  (that’s a technical term!) the white cotton fabric into dyepot.  I’m going for a mottled look—not a uniform color.  Add water and steep on low heat.  Sprinkle in small amount of dye—better use a face mask or you’ll be blowing blue for awhile!  I used liquid dye this time—little safer than powder—can’t always find color you want in liquid form though. 

Looking good as heat simmers away—poke down the fabric periodically with your dye spoon

Good color for this one but dye is not exhausted as this one is rinsed thoroughly I repeat with second fabric

Second is a little more exhausted but guess what?  There is still dye left unattached in the pot—

So in goes the third fabric

Lighter blue still and I could have gone two or three more to completely  exhaust the dye—didn’t though.  

I hate throwing away good dye! 

Dispose of dye carefully—

Fabric pieces go in washer for good cleaning and then into dryer. 

Backings ready for next quilting day!

 

WARM FEET

Finally! finished!! those hubby socks!!   There was a terrified thought at one time!  What if the sock won't fit his foot?  I did all that knitting and the sock could be too big or too small?  What a thought?!!  I didn't want to rip those darn things out to begin again!  What to do?  I'm sure you're thinking if you measured the foot ahead of time you wouldn't have this problem?  Or if you did a sample--oh, horrors of horrors!  Measure? Sample?  Those are dirty words and not in my vocabulary!  I hate sampling!  and I hate measuring!  I like to 'wing' it and if it turns out right--I'm happy!  Here's what I did.....................I have a foot--it might not be the same size as hubby's but if I try the sock on my foot, I can sort of see how it fits.........................

I made sure the stitches would not come off the needles--slipped my foot in and ta da!  it fits my foot just fine==I'm good!

Sock should fit snuggly on his foot!  The second sock is hanging off the back--looking good!  Hurrah!  This time--not measuring or sampling worked!

Knitting away—another thought when I looked at the yarn that was in the skein—not much there! Will I make it to the toe by playing ‘ yarn chicken’? 

Down to the last few yards—one sock being knit with one end, other sock with other end.  Knit till socks meet in middle of yarn—then what??  Will yarn make it to toes?  If not, what to do? 

We’ll, you guessed it!  Yarn ran out before I closed the toe

Thinking of “gold toe” socks, a brand he likes to wear—didn’t have any white to dye gold or gold yarn—bummer!  

Next best thing—find a sock yarn to finish with

Doesn’t look too bad.  Besides he won’t wear these out in public; just knock around socks.

Actually, there many rounds left!  Ta—da!  Finished. He likes them!! Except now, he wants another pair…..oh bother!  I’ve spoiled him!!

 

Hard Way to get 9

 Nope!  Not playing a card game or dice game.  Just trying to make a 9 patch out of a 4 patch.  I decided to work on “Oh Say Can You Sew Quilt Along?  especially since I found this bag of 4 patches--why did I have a bunch of 4 patches?  Good question.  I don't remember why I made them in the first place--therefore, why not turn these into 9 patches--I need 31.  Let's begin

I don't care that it's a mixed bag--the 9 patches will be scrappy which I like.

I spent about 30 minutes ripping the seams and placing squares together--to the sewing maching next==

couple of seams per each patch and there were have just what we need

Those 4 patches turned into 24 nine patches--just need 7 more to make the first clue.

Then comes clue 2--and this is always a stumper for me--how do you get those

For clue two, 124 pieces are needed OR 31 sets of 4--I didn't want to construct the block like the instructions--there must be an easier way==124 is alot of cutting and sewing and then trimming to correct size.  

I found instructions to make 8 half square blocks at one time!  Math is involved!

Add 7/8" to the triangle finished size (ex. triangle square is to finish at 1 1/2" so

1 1/2" + 7/8" = 2 3/8")

Take that size multiple by 2 and you have 4 3/4"

So simple formula to remember!

Learn Something New Every Day

Just because you think you're old and can't learn anything new--think again!  I've been spinning for over 40 years--taken a few classes from 'experts', taught myself some new tricks from books, suggestions from fellow spinners and now we have youtube!  A great source when learning a new technique!

For many months, I receive an extra 'round up' of spinning news from around the world.  I'm so happy I found this--Sheila Dixon--handspinning newsletter!  I've visited many excitng places though her newsletter--sign up for the free edition.  She also has a paid newsletter.  You won't be sorry--you learn something new each month from her newsletter==I guarantee!!

In the April newsletter, there was an article about cross lacing--I've heard of this technique, but totally dismissed it from my brain!  Then it pops up in the newsletter and I took another look-- well, I'll be!  This is a game changer as I've been spinning cotton for years--my feet treadle faster and faster to put enough twist in that short fiber to get a finer yarn. 

Cross lacing can stop there being so much draw in, slowing the wheel down and allowing all the twist that we need without over twisting.  You do this by tracing your single across the bobbin hooks, from one side to the other. Or if you have a slider style flyer wrap your single over the metal rods of the flyer.

And when I go to internet--there are lots of articles on this topic--Boy!  I was slow to jump on this bandwagon.  Thanks Sheila for getting me to move off my soft seat and explore something almost 'new"!  Here is a video from world renown spinner, Judith MacKenzie showing how to use cross lacing!  I'm excited to try this with my cotton spinning--off to the wheel............................