Feral Knitter

Wrinkle in Time

There's no other way to explain it. I mean, how did it get to be November 29th? I would swear I posted yesterday, but the evidence points to something entirely different. And as a loyal CSI viewer, I must respect the evidence.

On reflection, I think I can reconstruct the activities of the intervening days.

• I finished a cabled hat out of KnitPicks Andean Silk. This yarn is wonderful to work with!
• I got my shipment of yarns for the Sashiko Jacket from Schoolhouse Press. They are perched prettily in a basket in the living room. After I cut out the sloper and marked increases/decreases, I cast on and knit one row--then I was forced to halt by the unpleasant realization that I had not thought through what hem treatment I wanted to use. Meanwhile, take a look at this if you like the concept of sashiko patchwork. This book is going on my Christmas list!
• We had a quiet Thanksgiving celebration at home--Gingko flew down from Seattle, and the three of us had the full traditional feast, scaled down a bit. Although we usually observe Buy Nothing Day on the day after Thanksgiving, this year we took BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) into San Francisco to watch the crowds and enjoy the holiday decorations. I now admit to you that we purchased 1 pair of pants and 2 tins of chocolate goodies. Thus is the economy fueled. We wandered through Saks Fifth Avenue to see how the other half lives--J was amazed at the prices they were asking for scarves and hats! He has always been supportive of my work, but I could tell that his respect has grown! He's probably also trying to figure out how I could sell my things for these prices...
• I worked a few days at Deep Color. I have been dyeing rovings in a style I call agate dyeing (I first called it blotchy dyeing, but Claudia felt that didn't convey the correct image!). I am totally pleased that these rovings sell out pretty quickly because I have a great time making them. What is interesting is that I rarely see the finished product, which is disturbing to my scientific mind but is probably a really good thing in terms of loosening up my artistic impulses.
• Oh, and I worked a bit at my paying job and cleaned the house somewhat. We won't dwell on this aspect of life.

I so appreciated the comments about Fair Isle knitting projects. I'd like to return to that subject in the next post. I'm making no promises as to when that will be, however!

Getting Started with Fair Isle Knitting

Molly asked a good question: "I really want to try knitting fair isle.  Maybe this winter.  Any suggestions about a good place to start?"

You might not be surprised to learn that I have some pretty strong opinions on this subject! I think many people try to learn two-color stranded knitting by starting with projects that make it harder than it is.

A good beginner project has three characteristics:

• It can be knit in the round on a circular needle. Many people start with a teddy bear sweater or a sock or mittens on double-pointed needles. I find these difficult to handle while also dealing with learning to carry two colors AND keeping the tension even.
• It is not gauge sensitive. Beginners find that their gauge shifts a lot as they develop their skills. Plus, swatching for tension is pretty time consuming, and people should be able to launch into a project!
• It is something the knitter can use. Few people knit for process alone--most of us like a balance.

I've come up with a few ideas that fit these criteria: pillow cover, purse, Christmas stocking, tea cozy, some hats.

BUT (you'd almost think I was a Gemini, the way I insist on seeing many sides to a situation!) the knitting world is full of stories of beginners who launch into a complicated adult sweater as their first project. Through perseverence and, no doubt, many many hours of ripping and reknitting and swearing like a sailor they produce the garment of their dreams.

Only you can know which profile is you. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone!

You might like to know exactly how I learned. The first stranded color sweater I made was the Lupine Cardigan designed by Meg Swansen. She confines the color portion to a few inches at the top of the sweater. I followed the Cardigan Details video slavishly and learned how to steek, sew on sleeves, 3-needle I-cord bind off, attach bands, well, tons of stuff! I recommend this heartily. My second stranded color pattern was a Philosopher's Wool sweater for my daughter, knit of worsted weight yarn. These sweaters are a good way to learn stranded knitting, although they emphasize trapping the carried color and I choose not to do that and many people find their steeking instructions difficult to follow. My third was a Bohus-type design by Meg Swansen, knit in Shetland jumperweight (this sweater, by the way, gets an amazing number of compliments--the pattern is available from Schoolhouse Press as Spun Out #5 for only $1). I thought this would be a good beginner's project because the two-color section was only in the yoke; the rest was plain stocking stitch, so I got very comfortable with smaller needles and the feel of the yarn. Next came the Turkish Maple sweater (by Meg again) in Shetland jumperweight. And that was the last time I followed a pattern!

What has been your experience, oh readers? What made learning easier? Harder?

Sashiko Jacket

The sashiko princess sweater planning continues apace. I've been doing some more swatching while watching the sweetly silly While You Were Sleeping and I'm getting close to finalizing the design.

I like the four indigo blues I've chosen and have determined their order. The sweater will have four patterns: the bottom of the swatch will be the center front and back, but the background/pattern colors will be reversed (and no, I'm just reckless enough not to bother swatching); the side panels will be the delicate basketweave pattern that is curling over itself at the top of the swatch--this is predominantly white; and the sleeves will have the large crosshatch design. This has been worked in Armenian stitch--you trap the carried color frequently behind the work; the color shows through a bit and the texture changes. I thought this could work out well as a contrast to the busy center panel, and the Armenian stitch gives the effect of aged indigo-patterned fabric. The sleeve cuffs will be the arched pattern in the middle--I hadn't planned this but I liked the way it looked in the swatch!

Clearly, I am a pattern slut. I have also toyed with a center upper back medallion or crest. Would this push the sweater over the top? And is that a bad thing???

Now, to prepare the sloper to plot the princess seam placement. You can see that I don't rush this planning period!

Report from SOAR 2

Saturday was another day of retreat classes. I started the day in Sara Lamb's "Kumihimo" class. This Japanese braiding art offers a myriad of possibilities for a feral knitter! The technique is not difficult when taken step by step, but getting the tension right proved to be my undoing. It's worth persevering, though--just imagine colorful button loops or braids laid over button band edges or or or. Sara's blog, Woven Thoughts, is a worthwhile read, and her use of color is inspirational.

The afternoon was spent focused on a totally different aspect of fiber use: I took Annemor Sundbo's "Magic of Spinning: Folklore of Norwegian Wools" class. We arrived to find a table heaped with fleece in a wide range of natural colors from Spaelsau sheep, which have thrived for centuries in the mountains of Norway. They are a double-coated sheep, and the Norwegians have found a use for all parts of their fleece. I was particularly intrigued by Annemor's description of how Viking sails were prepared to make them shed water--we moderns tend to think the peoples of the past were less technically adept than we are, but the Vikings paid attention to the details of spinning and weaving so that the scales on the wool were consistently facing down, which kept the sails from getting too heavy or rotting too quickly. We used Norwegian drop spindles to try spinning the guardhairs, good for tapestry yarn, and the down, which we used to create little cats formed of double-knit tubes. Annemor, who was recently named a national treasure in Norway, has written a number of books about traditional Norwegian knitting that I can recommend wholeheartedly.

That evening, the dining room was cleared of tables to make room for a spin-in. Live music--fiddle and guitar--brought several people to their feet to dance impromptu jigs or waltzes, and conversation filled the air.

During SOAR I had a chance to meet many other interesting people who are worth checking out. Here are few:

Sheila Ernst, an exuberant artist who creates incredible colorful glass buttons.

Sarah Swett, a tapestry weaver and knitter I've admired for years. Her book--Kids Weaving--has just come out. I love this book! She offers plans for building a $12 loom from PVC pipe and leads the way through a number of fun projects. I began my life in fiber at the age of 12 at Camp Fire Girls camp, where I learned inkle weaving. I earned pocket money in high school weaving inkle belts... time to get back to a loom.

Nancy Roberts has been doing very intriguing work that is of interest to anyone who likes stranded color knitting. She uses a knitting machine to knit a swath of plain fabric, which she then dyes, unravels, and knits into a colorful, painterly garment. I was not able to take her class at SOAR because I'm still not all that mobile (her class was not handicapped accessible), but I learned to my delight that she lives less than a mile from me! I anticipate many happy hours exploring the possibilities that her techniques open up.

Kathryn Alexander was wearing some absolutely wonderful colorful clothing knit from energized singles.

And bloggers, of course: Margene of Zeneedle fame and Anne of How the West Was Spun were there and paused in their shopping to say hello. Here's Margene:

SOAR participants--teachers, vendors, and students--could bring items made of handspun for the gallery, which was a treasure trove of incredible pieces. The exhibit truly reflected the creative excitement I felt at SOAR! What I enjoy most about the spinning community is the sense of adventure--no one expects to re-create someone else's work. And you KNOW that appeals to this feral knitter's heart!

All in all, SOAR was worth every penny. I'm already saving up to go next year, when it will be held in Tahoe City, California, the last week of October. Hope to see you there!

Oh, and talking about creative use, I faced a minor catastrophe on Friday morning when I realized that I had forgotten to pack a hairbrush! But I had packed my handcarders (used by spinners to prepare fleece for spinning). Here's a recreation of the event, wherein I am wearing clothing:

Report from SOAR

It was only one year ago that I took spinning lessons at Deep Color Studio in Kensington, California. I wasn't a natural, by any means. I spent much of the first class seething with envy as I watched other students effortlessly spin great yarn. But I was a long-time reader of Spin-Off magazine (which I have always maintained is the best knitting magazine out there!), a fiber lover from way back, and I refused to give in. After a few hours of struggle and much colorful language, I got the hang of it.

And today I get to write about SOAR, the Spin-Off Autumn Retreat! So let this be a warning to all who plan to learn to spin: it can take over your life faster than methamphetamines.

I met my friend Greg at the Salt Lake City airport on Thursday morning. We hopped in our rental car and quickly found ourselves at the No Worries Cafe at Parley's Summit, where we fortified ourselves with excellent breakfasts for the rigors to come. They serve the best Eggs Benedict ever. Although it is nearly time for ski season to start, the Wasatch mountains were not yet covered with snow and I hardly needed my sweater.

We made our way to The Canyons Resort in Park City. Here's the view from my room:

After checking in, we rushed to pick up our nametags, goodie bags, and SOAR mugs before we did a quick look through the market. It was as overwhelming as I had expected it to be: scrumptious fibers, beckoning colors, satiny wood tools, and fascinating books.

Thursday night's dinner was a blur of friendly faces: some 250 or so people attend SOAR, although I don't know how many were there for the retreat sessions. I found that people were pretty uniformly welcoming. A wide range of experience levels was represented--some attendees had been coming for 20+ years, but there were many of us newbies as well. One woman had been spinning for only 3 weeks! The Interweave Press staff were also very welcoming and they did an excellent job all the way around. After dinner we signed up for our retreat classes. We each got to choose 4 classes from about 15--it is hard to describe how the process works, but we each got our first and second choices for sure, and usually our other choices as well. The class offerings were all so enticing that a computer could have signed me up at random and I would have been happy!

On Friday I took "Mohair and More" with Robin Russo. She led us through several types of mohair and cashmere (and blends), talking about where they come from and how they are graded. The goat fibers are a pretty complex group! We spun samples of some 12 different fibers, which we attached to her well-prepared note pages.

That afternoon, I took "Optically Blending Colors on a Drum Carder" with Deb Menz. This class was a total blast! I have never used a drum carder before, but Deb led us through the mechanics before we began. We chose one base color, and then she had us choose other colors to alter the nature of our base color: something to warm it up or cool it down, something to shade it, something to contrast, etc. Finally, we learned how to layer the bats and strip them in preparation for spinning. I felt like a little kid! Here are some photos from the class:

Oops, I've got to go to work now! More tomorrow....

Worth Waking Up For

Tomorrow morning, oh so bright and early, I will be flying off to Salt Lake City, where I will meet up with my friend Greg and we will head over the Wasatch Mountains to SOAR (the Spin Off Autumn Retreat)! I am very excited--after this stressfull period in my life, I am truly grateful to have this vacation, and I've wanted to go to SOAR for years, long before I learned to spin. This year, SOAR is being held in Park City, Utah. I was last there in 1973 (I was studying Arabic at the University of Utah that summer), so I expect things have changed a bit--I hope the spectatular scenery I remember is still there. I also hope to meet Margene there--are any other bloggers or readers going to be there? It's a tad late to ask this question, I know, because the workshops began on Monday--but those of us attending the retreat sessions only won't head out until tomorrow.

I love taking workshops, and the possibilities at the retreat session are mouthwatering. The retreat session consists of 4 3-hour classes--you get to choose from a menu of about 12. We sign up for them when we get there--I don't know how they decide which class you get into, but I wouldn't be disappointed to take any of them.

Thinking of workshops, Madrona Fiber Arts has posted their class list for the February retreat in Tacoma, Washington. I've gone to this many times and can recommend it heartily! One nice touch is that they offer beginning knitting classes as well as intermediate and challenging ones--and spinning, too. Check it out!

In the meantime, I've been knitting hats for Dulaan. Here's a double-layered hat, with a quadruple layer over the ears, roughly based on the cover hat on the recent issue of Spin Off:

I'm also knitting a double-thick hat with earflaps--when I get back from SOAR I'll write up the patterns I've been developing.

Gingko's visit last weekend was a joy. And even nicer--she asked me to knit her a hat and some socks! What mother could resist such a request?

Shetland Yarn

Gingko is coming home tonight for a weekend visit! I haven't seen her for nearly 2 months, so I'm quite excited. I have orders to fix my special macaroni & cheese, to have The Daily Show: Indecision 2004 DVDs in house (the funniest and scariest take on the last national election; Jon Stewart might just be enough to get me to order cable) ready for family movie night, and to be ready to choose yarn for warm socks and a hat. A sigh of happiness...

I've spent the last few days sitting on the sofa and finger teasing locks of absolutely lovely chocolate brown Polwarth and then spinning away while listening to the entire extended Lord of the Rings trilogy. Because I haven't had much meaty talk about Fair Isle-type knitting in the last few months, I'll reprint here a little article I wrote for the Seattle Knitters' Guild two years ago:

Yarn for Color Work and Play

Janine Bajus

After my presentation last month, a number of people asked me about the yarn that I use for my color work.

Shetland jumper-weight yarn is the traditional choice for Fair Isle-type color work. This yarn is a 2-ply fingering weight 100% Shetland wool that is now put up in 25-gram/125 yard balls. Two Scottish mills provide the yarn I use: Jamieson’s Spinnery and Jamieson & Smith (J&S)—it is very easy to confuse the two, but they are totally separate companies, so stay alert! Shetland yarn is somewhat hairy, which makes it hold together very well in stranded color work (it differs from the Scandinavian yarns in this respect). It is usually knit between 6-8 stitches per inch. The fabric softens after washing and has a nice drape.

Why Use Shetland Yarn?

I chose this yarn for several reasons:

Weight: This weight is perfect for our Northwest weather. I want to be able to wear my sweaters indoors as well as outdoors!

Lots of colors: If you want to play with colors, well, you need a lot of colors to play with! The two Scottish mills provide more than 300 shades between them.  In general, J&S colors tend to be more muted and heathery; Jamieson’s are more jewel-like and saturated.

Stable production: I wanted yarns that would be around in a few years so the experiments I do today will still be valuable in 5 years.

Reasonable cost: Unlike fashion yarns, Shetland wool does not cost the earth.

Versatile stash: Unused yarn just becomes part of my crayon box of colors. Because dye lots don’t matter in stranded color work, I can use even the smallest leftovers in future projects.

Bonus: I didn’t anticipate this, but because Shetland yarn is so fine, a considerable stash will hide nicely under your bed!

Where to Find Shetland Yarn

[2005 Note: this is definitely NOT a comprehensive list--PLEASE patronize your local shop if possible!]

It is quite a commitment for a shop to carry the entire range of Shetland colors. Check with your local shops to see what they stock—many carry a few colors if not the entire range.

Two Swans Yarns, a local mail-order shop [in Redmond, Washington] stocks the full range of Jamieson’s yarns. They can be contacted at www.twoswansyarns.com, phone 888-830-8269.

J&S yarns are sold directly from the mill: www.shetland-wool-brokers.zetnet.co.uk, phone +44-(0)1595-693579, fax +44-(0)1595-695009. Delivery is amazingly quick. Schoolhouse Press carries the full range of J&S yarns, although at a higher price due to import duties charged to shops: www.schoolhousepress.com, phone 1-800-YOUKNIT. They are also quick to ship.

Harrisville Yarns in New Hampshire spins Shetland-style yarns, as does Bartlett Yarns in Maine. I have not used these yarns (yet!) because they do not come in the wide color range I look for.

Building a Crayon Box

I built my crayon box of yarns slowly, starting with the leftovers from a few projects, and then I began to purchase 3 or 4 hanks of yarn every time I went to my local yarn shop. (I keep a list of the yarns I have already in my purse so I can avoid duplication.) I still add to my collection every month!

One way to build your crayon box of colors quickly is by ordering a manufacturer’s entire range and splitting the skeins among four or five people. Purchasing one each of every J&S color (157 of them!) directly from the mill would cost approximately $380 plus shipping; Jamieson’s yarns (148 of them!) cost more, so you would spend between $577-680, depending on your source. (Please note that Jamieson’s has announced a price increase set for this fall, and J&S prices are tied to the value of the dollar overseas.) Each person could be responsible for splitting some of the skeins into equal little skeins, and voila!, you would have a full range of colors at a reasonable cost.

I look on my considerable number of balls of Shetland yarn as an artist’s resource. Even un-knit, they give me hours of pleasure as I dream new patterns and plot new garments. And the knitting itself is a joy—fine yarns at a tight gauge might seem daunting at first, but they are surprisingly easy to knit with, easy on your hands and wrists as well. There’s no need to hurry at all, just enjoy making something that reflects your innermost ideas of beauty and comfort. You get a lot of hours of knitting enjoyment from your investment.