Rock on Table Rock Llamas July 22, 2011

Along the rural, wooded route of Shoup Road, nestled in amongst the pine trees of Black Forest, Colorado is Table Rock Llamas Fiber Arts Studio, a lovely log cabin of yarn.  I think I saw a gingerbread house nearby, but I can’t be sure. Shopping yarn appeals more than gingerbread and didn’t involve a fight to the death with a witch. At least not this time.

Could this setting be more awesome?

The shop, is open Tuesday-Friday 10 -5, Saturday 10-4 and consists of a front multiroom building chock full of yarny goodness, and a back building where the classroom spinning, dying and other teaching magic happens. Coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally, this is where Julie from Tompkins Alpaca Pride learned to spin.  This outbuilding also houses roving and other spinning materials, lovely spinning wheels, classroom space and sale yarn. Table Rock was recommended by Julie and another yarn shop, so you know it’s gotta be good.

Ladies, start your spinning wheels.

Of all their lovely yarn offerings I opted for some local hand-dyed sock yarn from a multitalented husband wife team. The yarn looks like a rainbow puked on it, which means I LOVE it!

Yeah, more sock yarn!

An interesting thing I learned there – you can buy silk worm cocoons to either turn into yarn or use as decorative elements in your fiber creation. You can hear the dead silk worm rattling around in there, which kind of weirds me out. If anyone out there ever thought giving me a silk worm cocoon was a good idea, let me politely decline the offer now.

The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. Stop in a check it out.

6520 Shoup Road
Black Forest, CO 80908

Phone: 719-495-7747
Toll Free: 866-495-7747

Black Forest is located about 30-minutes from Colorado Springs.  Do you have any Colorado Springs area yarn shop suggestions?

Why Can’t I Pet the Alpaca? July 19, 2011

While visiting my dear friends in Monument, Colorado we spent one afternoon admiring yarn and houses. I bought some yarn, but no houses. For our first stop, we arrived at the Monument weekly farmers market with minutes to spare, which is all I need to inflict damage to my bank balance! Though, not as much as if I’d bought a house. See, it’s all about perspective.

I immediately rushed to the Tompkins Alpaca Pride booth. This local alpaca farm is owned and operated by Martin and Julie Tompkins. The previous week my friend posted a picture of the yarn spinner half of this alapaca operation, Julie, spinning. During my visit she was away visiting family, but an ethereal purple-blue yarn she spun and hand dyed caught my eye.

Resistance is futile.

As did the camera shy alpaca adjoining the booth. Every time I am face to face with an alpaca I am reminded how adorable they are. Martin and I discussed the ease of caring for alpacas. I asked if they would let him pet them or if they were standoffish like sheep. More like sheep, apparently, so I wouldn’t be petting an alpaca.

"Yes, I am adorable!" He seemed to say.

Mr. Touch-me-not was fun to watch and sort of reminded me of a dog. When a coffee can of treats was shaken he dropped whatever he was doing (eating hay and ignoring me) and hurried right over. I also discovered they have a cleft upper lip that opens, which was interesting. And when he gets anxious he makes a high pitched whine of concern, which he did when Martin started packing up the stall. He was immediately at the side of his pen and very concerned that he was being left here with all these strangers.

By the by, there are alpaca farms all over Colorado. We drove by at least four in the Monument area.

I purchase one skein of worsted weight yarn, which has 98.3 yards. What do you think I should do with it?

The Knitted Dollar July 14, 2011

I am in the midst of reading a really depressing book that is more frightening than a Dean Koontz novel. The book is Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown. Apparently the folks who wrote it accurately predicted the housing bubble collapse and corresponding stock market collapse, which means, in theory, the future impending financial apocalypse they predict may actually happen.

For the purposes of this post there is one prediction that led to a moment of levity I want to share. They believe the dollar is overvalued and will collapse in the next few years resulting in worldwide calamity.

There is nothing funny about this and it terrifies me to contemplate, which is why we irreverently made a joke of it.

If the dollar collapses the knitters of the world can create our own currency which would be the Knitted Dollar. This currency would be worth much more than the standard American dollar, because of the time and fiber invested in creating each bill. The currency would be made of fiber according to their value.

$1 = acrylic

$5 = cotton

$10 = wool

$20 = alpaca

$50 = silk

$100 = cashmere

$1,000 = qiviut

There is a simple brilliance to this plan. No one could forge the currency, it’s not like you can pass acrylic off as qivuit. Plus, the knitters that would be gainfully employed to make currency would ease unemployment woes. So, if they are right, keep this in mind and we knitters can start our own economy.

What do you think? Do you believe they may be right? And, if so, are you ready for knitted currency?

Knitting Happenstance July 10, 2011

The other day (ok, I’ll admit it, it was the other month) we found ourselves wandering through the Living Traditions Festival in Salt Lake City. It was a random decision on a dreary, drizzly British type Sunday, which made the first performers we saw, The Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band, very apropos.

If you’ve never been to the Living Traditions Festival I definitely recommend it. In addition to the diverse performers there is also a decadent and delicious array of ethnic foods. After gorging on Sudanese food, which I’d never had before and is amazing, and washing it down with a Tongan coconut drink I then ventured on to dessert which consisted of a heap of Basque churros and a Mexican (Sugar, baby! Yeah!) Coke. My family also tasted delicacies from Pakistan and Tibet, and those are just a sample of the cuisines on offer. Plus, all the food booths represent nonprofits or churches so the money does good in the community.

But, I haven’t even gotten to the best part – the knitting happenstance.

The festival also has a variety of traditional crafts being demonstrated and sold. I wandered around oohing and aahing. Have you ever watched traditional lace making? It’ll blow your mind! The Armenian carpet knotting was impressive too. I found a booth where Nepalese knitting was represented, unfortunately one of the ladies was crocheting (which will do nothing to further the understanding of the difference between knitting and crocheting for nonknitters or crocheters) and the other seemed to be taking a break on a sock, so I couldn’t tell if there was actually a difference between Nepalese knitting and the knitting I’m familiar with.

Then we wandered into the craft sales tent and that’s when it happened – the knitting happenstance. There were some amazing knitting patterns being sold by a talented local designer, Anne Carroll Gilmour. I first came upon her knock-your-socks-off kilt hose, which are probably the best kilt hose I’ve ever seen! Unfortunately, even though I think I’m a pretty advanced knitter, they looked like they would do me in. Fortunately, my husband saw her Classic Highlander’s Balmoral Bonnet and fell in love. I was happy to oblige, even though it has some colorwork and I don’t really do colorwork, but anything to make my hubster happy (as long as it didn’t mean knitting those kilt hose!).

I left with pattern in hand. I just love when that happens! I went there to check out some local culture and left with a knitting pattern!

Simply Sublime, Yarn that is July 7, 2011

Last year for my birthday I received this amazing yarn Sublime bamboo & pearls dk.

The luster and softness of this yarn is like heaven in fiber form.

I immediately started a pattern that was waiting in the wings for the perfect yarn. I adapted the pattern for circular knitting and didn’t really worry about whether I matched their gauge (I’m a rebel that way). This meant some extra fiddling when I reached the cable section at the top, which also meant since I was headed into cold weather at the time, that I put the project down for many months.

This yarn also gives lovely stitch definition.

Now that warm weather is (FINALLY!!!!!) on its way the project is out of hibernation. I’m optimistic that I might finish by the end of the month so I can wear it to see my friends in Colorado.

So, I thought I would share a bit about the yarn.

1) It is heavenly. I have the kimono color and I just love it.

2) The silky sheen just makes me want to rub it against my face for hours on end. This makes it difficult to knit.

3) It is easy to accidentally pierce the yarn, generally it’s just a few strands I missed.

4) The drape of the finished fabric is divine.

5) It slides over the needles like a dream.

6) I haven’t encountered any knots yet and I’m about five balls down now.

7) I definitely recommend this yarn! (As if you hadn’t gathered that yet.)

Tech details: 50g balls, 95 m/104 yds, 22 sts x 28 rows for 4″, 70% bamboo sourced viscose, 30% pearls sourced viscose, 4mm needles, machine washable, dry flat

 

Moony for Mango Moon July 3, 2011

So silky and mangoey.

I am working on a simple openwork tank top for my Mom in Mango Moon Elements Recycled Silk. I love the vibrancy of this yarn! And it is ethical. Beauty and ethics make a stunning combination.

This yarn is handspun in Nepal by the Nepali Women’s Empowerment Group providing shelter, education and health care for women and their families. When we first met, the yarn reminded me of the recycled sari silk yarn, which can often feel unpleasant.

Me, “Hello, I believe we’ve met. You’re recycled sari yarn.”

Elements, “I may be, but have you touched me?”

Me, “Oh, I shouldn’t.”

Elements, “Just one little touch.”

Me, “Oh, you’re not like the others.”

Elements, “And how many skeins of me do you want?”

Working on the top has acquainted me with this yarn and there are a few things I want to pass along.

1) The thickness varies from very slubby to thread thin. I am hoping it is strong and I don’t end up with the incredible disintegrating tank top – “Watch it fall apart before your very eyes.”

2) Those little silk strands want to reach out and grab each other. Two strands hanging next to each other mate before you can say boo leaving you to try to figure out where one strand ends and another begins. Too bad they don’t produce little silk yarn babies, then it would all be worth it.

3) The yarn is softer than I expected. I anticipated sore hands and that hasn’t happened at all, the little bits of straw spun into the yarn can be scratchy, though.

4) Each colorway has a predominant color, in my case Autumn Forest has strong green and gold coloring. However, one skein will have more green and the next more gold even though they’re from the same dye lot.  Fortuitously, the yarn incorporates so many colors that I can’t really tell the color change in the top so far, let’s hope it stays that way.

I recommend getting some of this yarn if you love vibrant beauty and ethics. You get 150 yards per skein. I am knitting with a US 11 needle.

The Little Things in Life June 30, 2011

I love things that are practical. And who doesn’t love things that are lovely? The best is when the two come together. The icing on the cake (or the lace edging on the hand knit) is when the lovely, practical thing was a gift. Which is why I love these stitch markers.  The completion of each round is a celebration.

The little sheep says, "Baa! You're awesome! Keep knitting!"

I love them almost as much as the dear friend (A new knitter herself. I am so proud!) who gave them to me.

I do know some knitters who aren’t a fan of decorative stitch markers. Which camp do you fall in? Decorative or utilitarian?

Spiral Toes = Not So Much June 27, 2011

I like to experiment with different elements in socks. That’s how I came across my favorite heel – the double-stitch short row heel.

And also how I came across my new least favorite toe – the spiral toe.

I’m not really sure what purpose this toe serves, since it ends up pointy like a carrot. And I don’t have carrot shaped feet. And don’t know many people who do.

Spiral toe, perfect for the carrot people.

To make the spiral toe, not that I think you should, but just in case you have very pointy toes, or maybe an extra long second toe.

Divide stitches evenly over four needles.

Rnd 1: ssk at the beg of each ndl, K rem sts.

Knit one rnd even between each decrease rnd.

Each additional rnd add one more stitch before the ssk. When you get to the end of the needle, start again at the beginning until 8 sts rem. Cut yarn, weave through sts, pull tight. Weave in ends.

Have you ever knit this toe? What did you think?

A Knitting Algebra Equation June 23, 2011

A knitter leaves Roberts, Idaho at 7:20 p.m. heading south on I-15 on a June evening. She is knitting a sock with 72 stitches and is ready for toe decreases. The Earth revolves around the sun at  67,062 miles per hour and the knitter (who is knitting and not driving) is moving at the average speed of 82 miles per hour. The knitter can knit 1 stitch every 2-3 seconds or 25 stitches per minute. Each decrease takes 5-7 seconds. The knitter decreases every other round and will finish with eight stitches. If the sun sets at 8:55 p.m. and the knitter has, once again, foolishly forgotten her knitting headlight, will she be able to finish her toe decreases before it gets dark?

Answer: Yes.

Great Minds and All That June 20, 2011

I’m sure you’ve heard the adage, “Great minds think alike.” Well, it is definitely true and definitely not something a knitting designer wants to discover at the toe decreases of her finished design.

I had this great spring green yarn (that apparently has been discontinued or I would’ve linked to it) and I was thinking it should have an organic pattern to correlate with its springy color, but a leaf pattern seemed too obvious. Lo-and-behold I came across this great undulating pattern that looks a lot like cabling without the hassle of cabling.  After the appropriate testing I got started.

Fast forward a bit and I was wondering why my spiral toe decrease didn’t seem like it was coming out quite right. One google search later and by some knitting coincidence I happened upon feministy’s blog and her sock Maeby.

Holy frijoles! That is the exact same stitch pattern I’m using!

Oh, there are some differences in the socks — my cuff is longer, my heel is boomerang, my toe spiral, and I didn’t continue the pattern across the entire foot, but still the stitch pattern makes the sock, so we basically had the same sock. So, I thought, hmm, if she used this stitch pattern and I used this stitch pattern I bet we’re not the only ones.

And no we are not.

There is also Luminare by Bex Femme and River Rapids by Sockbug. And those are just the one’s I found in the comment section of Maeby on Ravelry.

Oh well. At least I found out at the toe decreases and not after I was just putting the finishing touches on the pattern fresh back from the tech editor. 😉

My finished socks! They make me happy!

If you enjoy this pattern, please patronize any of the three talented designers ravelry shops. 🙂