Feral Knitter

Dyeing for the Fair Isle Sweater

Well, you guys are nothing if not a solid voting block! With one exception, you agreed that I should dye first, and then blend and spin for the best, deepest, most interesting results. The exception, however, had an excellent thought: "I think it's *always* better to wait for the people with talent to present me with a finished product to admire."

Thank you for your opinions! I've got a half of a pound of white Shetland mordanting (with alum) right now--I've got some madder at hand to dye with.

[Next day: Details--2 T madder powder for 1/2 pound white Shetland fleece mordanted with alum; heated to 160 degrees for 1 hour; cooled in pot. Meanwhile, set 1/2 pound light gray Shetland roving to soak in alum mordant at room temperature overnight. Removed madder batch; added 2 tsp osage orange extract to dye remaining in pot, and then added the gray along with the mordant water to simlutaneosly dye and mordant.]

Look what I found on my drive back to Seattle:

lichen!

These were mixed in with wood chips, the remnants of some logging operation, at a rest stop in southern Oregon. We really shouldn't harvest living lichens, but these lichens were no longer on the trees. Karen Casselman has researched sustainable lichen use as well as methods for obtaining good color with less dyestuff, so I plan to read her book Craft of the Dyer: Colour from Plants and Lichens (you can read a bit of it here).

I was walking Shadow when I spotted the lichens, so I filled one of his poop bags. But there was more on the ground when I headed to the restrooms, so I filled my arms--then the rest area caretaker told me that even more had blown off the trees on the other side of the little park. Whee! A grocery bag full of fallen lichen! Something else for the Fair Isle from Scratch.

A Different Kind of Diet

I realized that I haven't been knitting very much recently. Part of it is the disruption of going to California and back, but part of it is that I've been spending way too much time on the computer. Don't get me wrong--I love the internet, but I want to use the computer as a tool, not reflexively log on and graze. So I've un-subbed from most of the chat lists and will be trying to check email and Bloglines only a few times a day. We'll see how it goes!

Bitter Experience File

When you are curled up in your favorite chair reading a book, do not decide to trim your bangs without getting up and looking in a mirror while cutting.

Human Nature, Pros and Cons

'People need to respect other people and not try to play God,' the Babalawo said to me. 'But the problem I see with most people is that no one wants to respect anyone else, and everybody wants to play God.'
                         Melody Beattie, Playing It by Heart

I was saddened to read Rachael's post about the angry email she received last week (Rachael has removed the post now, not wanting to fan the flames of a nasty situation). The emailer had taken exception to Rachael's knitting during down time at her job and had threatened to take the issue to the county council. I feel so defeated when I learn about such self-righteous judgments.

Sigh.

Stephanie had once said that blogging reveals about 5% of the blogger's life--the tip of the iceberg. I know that is true in my case. I don't, in general, blog about many personal issues, even ones that I am happy to discuss in person. The internet is not a benign place, and readers have their own ways of using information without knowing the full story.

But my musings on human nature were pleasantly interrupted by an email from a reader (I don't know if she wants this to be public, so I won't share her name here): she donated an entire Knitting Basket to Heifer for the Parcheesi Afghan pattern! Thank you so much--good timing for me personally and good timing for Heifer, because their program in China is located in the heart of the earthquake zone and they are already making long-term plans to help people re-establish their lives.

At any rate, I'm still in California, immersed in the start of some work on the house. Much-needed cosmetic changes and much-needed fixes in the bathroom. This has caused my shoulders to rise up to my ears--I get really tense when I'm trying to do things that I don't know how to do. In this case, work with a contractor and bank financing people and building supply stores. I find myself stewing in resentment (Why didn't I marry a man who was capable/interested in this stuff?), worry (What if we both lose our jobs and can't pay this back?), and indecision (Is this shade of blue-green too light or too dark???). Deep down I know that however it turns out it will be fine.

A fellow Girl Scout leader commented that she could tell when I was feeling overwhelmed because I would mutter "O-kay, O-kay, O-kay" while I worked my way through whatever was before me to calm myself down.

O-kay. O-kay. O-kay.

I haven't done much knitting, although my office cum fiber storage room is looking very neat and organized (control what you can, right?).

Fair Isle from Scratch--Dyeing

Here's my question:

Which is better, to dye in the fleece and then blend colors when carding? Or to spin and then dye? Now THIS is the kind of opinion I'm interested in!

Designing Your Own Fair Isle Workshop

"There are many reasons for designing your own sweater (or anything else) instead of using a pattern drawn up by another. The primary  one, of course, is that you want to. If you are an anarchist at heart, part of that want is a desire for something unique--something that is wholly yours. Not fashionable; not proper or correct; maybe not even practical--but beautiful. Clothes, after all, say who we are... when we can be just ourselves we need something that is completely personal. Nothing could be better than a self-designed and personally knit garment."

Anna Zilboorg, Knitting for Anarchists

I will be leading a 3-day Design Your Own Fair Isle Sweater workshop June 27-29th in a town 20 minutes outside of Seattle. Suzanne Pedersen, the organizer, tells me that there are still a few openings. Here is the official description of the class:

You can design a Fair Isle sweater that reflects your own personality—traditional, contemporary, subdued, extroverted—a garment that incorporates patterns that have meaning to you, colors that make your heart sing, a design that fits and flatters. Designing your own garment can seem daunting—but taken step by step, you can do it.

We will spend the first day playing with a collection of over 200 colors of Shetland yarn. We will begin by discussing sources of inspiration, how to use color theory, and helpful resources. Then we will plunge into the actual process of choosing colors. 

Day two will be spent charting and swatching pattern motifs. We will start planning the overall garment shape and motif placement.

Day three will focus on construction issues specific to Fair Isle-type garments: steeks, corrugated ribbing, purl-when-you-can borders, and shaping tips for armholes and shoulders.

At the end of the workshop, you will have the start of a customized sweater pattern, the skills necessary to knit your sweater, and the yarns you need to swatch several color combinations.

Level of Skill: Must have experience with 2-color stranded knitting (or be willing to practice before the workshop) and knitting in the round; must have completed a sweater or a vest (of any kind).

I expect this class will be a lot of fun, plus you can even stay at Suzanne's--it's like a Girl Scout Camp sleepover! Please contact Suzanne (suzanne@madronafiberarts.com) for more details about registration.

My Family Knows Me

John and Gingko gave me a sheep for Mother's Day! From Heifer, of course. It's like being a grandmother, I can enjoy the sheep without having to trim the hooves. I'm going to name her, though--suggestions?

They also gave me a copy of Zati: The Art of Weaving a Life by Susan Merrill. I'd read Sarah Swett's glowing review of this book recently, and since Sarah is the person I would most like to be if I could trade places (well, that's a dangerous statement because I don't actually know her...) I really wanted to read it. It was right up my alley.

Deep Thoughts during a Long Drive

I've just got to California, the car loaded up like the Joads had a little more spending money: a rain barrel, compost bin, bags of roving, knitting books and magazines. The 2-day drive gives me lots of time to think.

• Red-winged blackbirds are a wonder of nature.
• Southern Oregon is, as my uncle used to say, God's country. Uncle Jack's career in forestry took him from place to place in Oregon (the company once tried to make him relocate to Mississippi, but on his first trip he discovered that the waitress couldn't understand him and he couldn't understand her--so he quit), and he loved nothing more than striding through the forests of Oregon carrying a cast-iron pan to bake biscuits over a campfire. After he retired, he took a part-time job at the upscale camping chain REI--he was truly aghast at the spending habits of the customers, who would spend hundreds of dollars on fancy cooking gear while he made his own out of 10 tins (restaurant-sized cans). As I drive down I-5, I'm always cheered up as the mountains move in to meet the road south of Eugene. First a few isolated hills and some sheep farms, then the hills invite some friends to the party, and before I know it the road rises and curves and the evergreens fill in the empty spaces. I think about the hiking trips I've been on, and my love of backpacking (why haven't I done more of this in the last 5 years?), and how I'm a mountain person at heart. And I think of Uncle Jack, my father's only sibling, and wish he were still alive.
• I totally love my iPod! I have a built-in iPod player in the car, and it makes the long drive a blast. The music, set on shuffle, took me to my past: Donovan, Dylan, Mimi & Richard Farina, and (God help me) John Denver. Make fun, but you cannot beat Country Roads for a happy, loud, private sing-a-long. I love that I can hit "repeat" and play my favorites over and over again.
• Shadow can look so pathetic on a car trip: bedraggled, woebegone, and accusatory. I remind him that he wanted to join me, but he is not convinced.
• I came up with a new afghan design and can hardly wait to start!
• Nothing beats the view of a river glinting in the sun.
• I've got pretty bad allergies. This is probably of no interest to anyone other than myself.
• The Fair Isle Sweater from Scratch project is heating up: I ordered a small, dark Shetland fleece and a medium gray one from Schoonover Farm, which is located in the town my grandfather was born--I love this about spinning, that it can be so very local. And somehow a pound of light gray Shetland roving found its way to my house, following a circuitous route from Judith MacKenzie McCuin to The Artful Ewe to Linda K, to me. This Shetland from Montana feels local, too--my husband is from Montana, where the Flathead Salish side of his family dates waaaay back.
• I really admire the Yarn Harlot--her writing, her general good will, and her very very hard work have enriched my life.
• I've been thinking a lot about family. I don't have a large family, really, so it was a special pleasure to get a comment on this blog two weeks ago from my cousin Elisabeth in Stockholm! We've been emailing back and forth, discovering commonalities and sharing histories. This blogging thing is absolutely amazing.....
• Something else that is amazing: the Feral Knitters Knitting Group is having its 5th anniversary this month! May 2003 I gathered the first group together in my living room to play with color knitting, never truly expecting that the group would grow and grow the way it has. Some of this is planning (I think that groups thrive if they have a neutral meeting place, a regular meeting time, someone to send out reminders, and an open-door policy), some of this is luck (a guild newsletter that I could advertise in, no one could have found a greater group of people, plus Two Swans Karen was willing to take over the administrative tasks when I moved away). This group has meant a lot to me. Happy anniversary!

I've got to say that I should have had more deep thoughts than this to show for such a long drive!

Fair Isle from Scratch: The Plan (So Far)

Washed fleece

Wow! Who would have guessed that my little Fair Isle Sweater from Scratch project would provoke such response? In answer to the questions:

The fleece comes from a Shetland sheep of some sort--lamb? hoggett? ewe? I don't know. I was browsing in The Weaving Works (Seattle) and I ran across a bin of Shetland fleece. Now, I was not looking for fleece. No, sir! But, I do love the smell of fleece! And this one felt so very soft. Lots of crimp. And the locks had a nice sound to them when I snapped them (this is a hard thing to explain to non-spinners: you take a lock of wool at both ends and you tug it quickly while listening--a sound fleece will ping a bit, whereas a poor fleece will break apart or be silent--that's how I understand it anyway). The tips weren't matted and there were no guard hairs or kemp. Although there was some vegetable matter, it didn't seem excessive given that I suddenly and urgently wanted to get started right away.

Why did I choose Shetland wool?

• I've been working with Shetland wool yarns for many years now, and it is the traditional wool for the type of color knitting that I love.
• Shetland sheep have been on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) list, which classifies rare and endagnered breeds of sheep, as Recovering. That is, there are enough of them not to be endangered but not enough to feel like they don't need monitoring. When we use a rare-ish breed's fleece, we help assure that ranchers will continue to raise that breed. A great introduction to rare breeds can be found here.
• Shetland sheep are cute as buttons. They are relatively small and their personalities, I am told, are "endearing."
• Shetland sheep come in many colors.
• Shetland wool, carefully chosen, is very soft and wearable.

In Sheep's Clothing by Jane and Nola Fournier is full of information about different breeds, what to look for, and the uses of their wool. The sweet book Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools by Deborah Robson explores a number of rare breeds and the uses of their fleece. Spin-Off magazine has published several articles about Shetland sheep recently (did you know that indexes to Spin-Off are available at http://www.interweave.com/spin/spinoff_magazine/spo_indexes.asp?)

I bought 1.25 pounds of the fleece, which I have washed in a hot bath (directions here) with Orvus paste, a gentle detergent for horses and cattle, and rinsed several times. It is now drying on a towel in the kitchen. I toss it a bit every time I walk past.

Plans:

1. I'm going to hand card the fleece because that is how it was done in Shetland as far as I can tell. It's hard to get accurate information about technical details from the past, but I found some photos from 1910 online and a drawing purportedly from the "mid 19th century" that showed Shetland women using handcards. I'll spin up the yarn woolen and ply it to match commercial Shetland 2-ply jumperweight yarn in grist.

1. My sister and I are going to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon, in June. I hope to find a gray fleece and a light brown one, which I will also wash, card, spin and ply.
2. I will then dye the yarns with natural dyes: indigo and madder seem to be the traditional dyes, plus the Shetlanders used lichen dyes that I cannot approximate here on the West Coast of America. (Of course, we have our own lichens, but I assume they are different.) I'm planning to dye the yarns to different depths of shade, and of course overdyeing the gray and light brown will produce different colors than dyeing the natural white.
3. Once the dyeing is done, I'll design a garment. I really don't want to dye to order--I think it's easier to design based on what is at hand. I don't envision a museum copy of an old Fair Isle, however--to be honest, the older patterns have never appealed to me. But the design will come later.

When Elizabeth Gilbert and Anne Lamott were talking last month, one of the subjects they spoke about was the importance of staying in the "now." But they also noted that, according to specialists on happiness, the happiest people are those with memories of good times and things to look forward to. Anne (or Elizabeth, I can't remember) said that the lesson is to "take lots of pictures and make lots of plans."

I'm having fun making plans!