En-tre-lac? What??

What the heck is entrelac?  One of my favorite ways to knit!  I learned this technique many moons ago—fell in love with it.  But,alas, as all good things do—put it aside! Guess what?  There is a new interest in knitting entrelac now, introducing new knitters to the technique—

I know it looks difficult but it's like anything else, one bite at a time!

spruce crafts has a nice step by step plus of course, there are lots of youtube videos to assist you along the way.

Interweave has a free booklet with six patterns that are ready to knit!

Learn this new technique!

I have knit socks (which I gave to my bestest friend--and she loved them!)  

I've knit a scarf (which I gave to another friend)

There are various number of entralac items I knit and gave away--at some point, you decide you can't keep everything!!

I'm taking up my needles again to entralac knit away!! 

Travel The World From Your Chair

 Why not travel the world from your favorite arm chair? 

Cloth Roads offers some of the most fascinating fiber exhibits from around the world!  Sit back, click and travel--no cost, no air travel--just some delicious viewing of wonderful art works done in fiber!  Some of these presentations require registration; a zoom style viewing.  Below is just a sampling of programs presented--let's travel!!

Dressed by Nature: Textiles of Japan

June 25 – September 11, 2022
Minneapolis, Minnesota

https://new.artsmia.org/exhibition/dressed-by-nature-textiles-of-japan

International Folk Art Market 

July 6 - 10, 2022
Museum Hill in Santa Fe, New Mexico

https://folkartmarket.org/

TOKo Santa Fe

The Color Blue with Keith Recker

Wednesday, June 15, at 4 p.m. MDT.

This is an online presentation via Zoom; no registration required. 

Join Keith Recker, a trend and color forecaster, as he presents “Blue: Feeling Blue and Other States of Awe”. Recker is the author of True Colors: World Masters of Natural Dyes and Pigments. His new book, Deep Color: The Shades That Shape Our Souls, releases late September. Just click this Zoom link to join the program. 

DeStashing 2.0

Word of the Day:  DeStash:  To remove (a yarn, fabric, equipment, etc.) from one's collection.

I'm still on a destashing campaign!  Slowly but surely, I'm moving fibers out of the house--

mainly, I'll give it to another fiber person so they can fondle it for awhile.

Gee, can't believe I forgot about this luscious stuff!  I found it tucked behind a box, filled

with what else--but fiber!  It's a lovely silk roving--I did spin some of it and then put it away from the looks of the bag--well, it went to the top of my "to keep" pile!!

Then there is this:  pouch of more goodness!  More silk inside my little red carry bag--

I forgot about this too!  mercy me, too old to remember what's in my fiber stash closet?  There are two nice products in this little bag, along with one of my favorite drop spindles--Lollipop spindle!  Yes, it spins wonderfully!  I have several of these lollipop spindles but this one is my favorite--sorry to say, the lollies went away.  The maker is no longer doing these--what a shame--but, we all must retire sometime.

This little bag was given to me by my least favorite SIL--when I received it, I thought "what am I going to do with this?"  and now, it's my favorite carrying bag for my fiber and lollies as I travel--although, I did forget about it for the longest time!

 

Inside the bag, I found little tube of handcream--need this every once in awhile as you spin silk, it covers those rough patches on your fingers; also, found these tidy little balls of spun silk.

When the spindle becomes too full, I wind the fiber off into a neat little ball--it's nice to have on hand if you plan to ply with another color--I usually ply three together--I'm bragging now--my fiber is very very fine!!

Okay, I paused long enough to remember the 'good old days"  Back to destashing!

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!