Wovember: A Celebration of Wool

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Wovember!

Every year in November after North America is all done with sheep and wool festivals, I look forward to Wovember.  Frankly, it’s helping get me through this November by letting my mind and heart rest on something wonderful, beautiful and useful.

Started by Felcity Ford and Kate Davies in 2011 because of their love for wool and in response to their frustration over the  mislabeling and misinformation about wool and wool products in mainstream goods.  Wovember is a month long love song to wool.

Wovember is a celebration of  and education about all things wool, sheep, sheep breeds, the many uses of wool and lots and lots of beautiful yarn and knitting. Be sure to check out their current blog posts about EU sheep and an excellent week’s worth of blog posts on labeling wool .

You can browse this year’s photo contest on Instagram using the hashtag is #wovember2016.

I love Wovember

I love Wovember

 

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Deep Fall Surprise: The Tuplet Shawl

Our SURPRISE for this most recent issue had two VERY different patterns. Very. The Anyadell thigh-high cabled socks are a once-in-a-lifetime jaw-dropping statement-making eye-popping sort of design. The Boss of Sock Knitting, as someone dubbed them. They’re amazing, no doubt.

But I have to say I am enormously fond of other pattern, the Tuplet Shawl, too. It’s gentle. It’s understated. It’s subtle. And it absolutely shouldn’t be missed.

Tuplet is an excellent way to use a gradient set, or use up partial skeins of yarn. Rather than resort to leftovers-socks (don’t get me wrong, I love leftovers socks) why not show them off in this shawl?

Imagine the color combos… let your stash fly!

The designer, Heather, has provided some background and supporting info – including a “cheat sheet” to help you keep track of the rows as you work.

Obsession Thursday: A new rabbit in the Knitty household

Some of you may remember that one of the two mini-rex sisters who lived with me, Boeing, died in October 2015. Since then, it’s been just me and her sister, Squeezle.

Squeezle is 11 and then some, and that’s pretty senior for a bunny. She’s been happy as a solo bunny. I guess she always had secret desires of being top bun than now can be realized. Me, though…I wanted a puppy. Someone furry to hang out with me on the couch, go on road trips with.

Baby Tully won my heart with this picture. Look at those ears!

Baby Tully won my heart with this picture. Look at those ears!

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a dog person, however. I’m a rabbit person. So when I found a listing for a Flemish Giant mix rabbit (mixed with what? Beagle?) whose foster mom said was “like a dog”, I decided I was ready.

Meet Tully —>. 10 weeks old in this picture, after being rescued from an open field in a large plastic tub with his two brothers. They’ve been adopted to other loving homes.

Tully was neutered just before I brought him home. He has some mellowing to do as the hormones leave his system, but basically he is the biggest, love-loving bunny I’ve ever met. Maybe even more than little grey mini rex Newton (1993-2005), and that’s saying something.

See, mini rexes are notoriously high strung, but I love them anyway. However, there are a few breeds of rabbit that are mellower. Flemish Giants are one of them. Tully ain’t scared of much except sudden noises. Driving in the car? No biggie. And now that he’s explored the living room/kitchen area where he roams, he’ll sit at my feet forever for pets. One day, he might even make it up on the couch next to me.

Tully would like me to pet him. All the time.

Tully would like me to pet him. All the time.

Purebred FGs can grow to 22 lbs. He’s about 7 lbs right now, which is as big as Boeing was at her largest.  The vet thinks he won’t get much bigger. Those may be famous last words, but I don’t care. I love having a big bunny again.

I have a harness waiting for Tully, when I feel he’s calm enough to handle it.  It’ll probably take a while to get him used to it. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to taking him on road trips with me, or on overnights to friends’ houses.

As for Squeezle, she and Tully will never meet. Bonding bunnies is stressful for both of them (and for the human, honestly) and even if it was successful, then Tully would lose his mate sooner than is fair. So they live in different zones of the apartment for now.

Tully came home with me the day before my birthday. Best birthday present ever.

 

Here he is. Home at last.

A side view of my big bunnydude.

WWW: Academic Study, A Lifelong Habit, Epic Yarnbomb

With thanks to Donna Druchunas, who brought this to my attention.

Ruth Gilbert, textile historian and weaver, has kindly offered access to her 2009 MPhil thesis, “The King’s Vest and the Seaman’s Gansey: Continuity and Diversity of Construction in Hand Knitted Body Garments in North Western Europe Since 1550″. Fascinating reading.

And another academic study: a paper from University of Central Arkansas Theology department, looking at the work of the groups known as “Prayer-Shawl Ministries”. Quoting from the abstract: Prayer shawl ministries, overwhelmingly led and staffed by women, aim to give comfort to the bereaved. Shawl makers often want to respond to communal tragedy and grief such as mass shootings. This case study uses qualitative interviews with shawl makers from white and African-American ministry groups, placing their statements in the context of benevolent handwork, disaster response, and the culture of mass shootings.

Harriet Aufses, like many of us, knits scarves to donate to a good cause. She makes about 20 or so scarves a year, to be sent off to members of the US military serving overseas. What’s more remarkable about Harriet is that she is 90, and has been knitting for 85 years.

Whatcha doin’ in April? Come and hang out with me, Amy Herzog, Laura Nelkin, Catherine Lowe and Kim McBrien-Evans of Indigodragonfly in sunny California.

I write this on Tuesday morning, before we know the results of the US Election. No matter what the results, I couldn’t not share this fantastic work of yarn-bombing, by the very talented Olek:

A Little Calm for Your Day

I don’t know about you, but this US election has me frazzled. I won’t be able to focus on anything today until the results are in. I will do a little spinning, a little knitting, a lot of making of many kinds while I wait for everyone to vote and those votes to be counted.

Here is an amazing short film by Andrea Animates for HansenCrafts to add a little calm to your day.

 

WWW: Poppies, Podcasting and Colors

With a hat tip to Bristol Ivy, I bring your attention to this magnificent way to spend the rest of the day: an analysis of 59 different color categorization systems from art and science, used over the past several centuries. Did you know that Isaac Newton published a colour theory?

Healthy cashmere goats. Images from The Times.

Important and illuminating reading: on Ethical fiber choices, written by Linda of Kettle Yarn Company. The article comes from research she did when sourcing her yarns and fibers.

Much discussion around Toronto last week prompted by this article in our local paper about a luxury hand-knit tuque being sold by a local fashion designer for $200. (And yes, there was also discussion outside of Toronto about the word ‘tuque’ – it’s Canadian for “beanie hat”.) The hat is made of a blend of merino, cashmere and qiviut. Honestly, the price sounds entirely reasonable to me, for that fiber blend and to compensate the knitter for the work that goes into it.

Jo of Shinybees

On The Guardian, a piece about how entrepreneurs use podcasting to help their businesses. Knitter Jo Milmine talks about how she uses her Shinybees podcast to connect with knitters all around the world, and how it opened up new business opportunities for her. Her work has been recognized as Best UK podcast at the New Media Europe Awards.

Image from Laura Chau’s website.

November 11th is Remembrance Day in various countries around the world – Canada, the UK, Australia and others. To commemorate the day, many choose to wear a poppy symbol. You might wish to make your own… patterns here. Traditionally, you buy a poppy from a seller, as a way of making a donation to groups who support veterans of war. If you do make your own, consider making a donation anyway. I made my own a few years ago, using Laura Chau’s pattern.

Have You Seen Spin+Knit 2017?

Spin-Off's Spin+Knit 2017

Spin-Off’s Spin+Knit 2017

Have you seen the latest special issue magazine from Spin-Off? Spin+Knit 2017 could keep spinners busy well into the winter knitting things from their handspun.There is a good balance of articles and projects in this issue – 10 articles and 20 projects for accessories.

I always wonder (and count) how many projects are reprints and how many are new. I don’t mind reprinted projects, many times it lets me see a projects in new light. I don’t want to buy a ‘new’  magazie or book that’s all reprints, unless it lets me know up front, by calling itself a ‘greatest hits’ or something similar. Of the 20 projects, 7 are reprinted from older issues of Spin-Off, or Interweave books two of those, the Wedge Hat and Swatch Mitts I’ve been hunting for in back issues and of the 13 new projects there are three or four I’d like to make, including the Leaf Cap, Eye of Partridge Cowl and North Road Hat. For me that’s a good balance, I bought a copy.

 

 

A New Slant Scarf. Photo: Spin Off: Spin and Knit 2017 © 2017 F&W. All rights reserved

A New Slant Scarf.
Photo: Spin Off: Spin and Knit 2017 © 2017 F&W. All rights reserved

 

 

I was lucky to have an article and a pattern accepted in this special issue. My article Under the Big Top: Spinning Striped Batts for Knitting,is about manipulating the color flow of striped batts to get the colors to behave how you’d like in your knitting. Do you want your colors separate and clear or jumbled and tweedy?

I have a pattern in Spin+Knit too, A New Slant Scarf, that utilizes two different techniques from my batt spinning article in a loop scarf. I spun and knit it from a gorgeous Lunabudknits Merino/Angelina Smoothie Batt, in the color Cuba Libre.

If you pick up a copy let me know what you think of this special issue!

 

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Obsession Thursday: New habits

I am a fat girl, and have been so for much of my life. I’ve also been thin a few times. It never sticks. I accept my size.

But last weekend at Rhinebeck, something changed. I saw myself in pictures and video and I wasn’t even me any more. I scared myself. The past two years’ worth of divorce-based-new-life stress eating has caught up with me. I also have IBS*, and my GI tract that weekend made me feel a drastic change in my food consumption was in order.

I’ve done everything from Weight Watchers (smart but exhausting) to Optifast (doctor-monitored and crazypants). I know what works, but what works for ME isn’t the same thing. So I did some research and invented my own program.

Keep in mind that this is what is working for me now, and you should do what works for you.

This is the stuff I'm eating for 2/3 meals every weekday.

This is the stuff I’m eating for 2/3 meals every weekday.

Breakfast and lunch every weekday is a glass of this stuff: Orgain Chocolate Protein Powder. I am experimenting with different recipes, but so far have enjoyed it mixed with unsweetened coconut milk and frozen fruit. (I tried it today with 1% Lactaid and strawberries, and it’s the best so far.)

For lunch, I tried it as a chia pudding but it was much too much food and not so great. Kind of grossed me out. So it’s 2 shakes right now. I also have an iced latte every morning with 1% Lactaid milk and sweetener. It makes me feel normal and keeps me full till past noon.

Orgain also comes as a premixed shake, but it’s a totally different formula. It tastes strongly of fermented legumes (or something else gross) and is just ICK. Powder stuff is vegan (!) and tastes much better. 

For dinner, I eat dinner.  That means it includes bread, rice or pasta if I want it to. It means I don’t weigh or measure, but I also don’t go nuts. The first week, my dinners were larger than I think they should be (probably by about 30%), and I’m not surprised by that. I’ve got to adjust from eating much too much, all day long. So I’m cutting myself some slack.

If I’m hungry during the day or at night, as much fruit and veg as I want. Popcorn, of course. No crap, period. I have always found it easier to say no to an entire group of stuff rather than picking which to say yes to. Remember, I have decades of Weight Watchers-based experience.

This allows me to go out with friends for dinners. It allows me to not think about what to eat for breakfast or lunch every day, which always was a bit of a pain and ended up with me making bad choices.

I’m writing this on Sunday at lunchtime, just after deciding that I get to have a normal lunch on the weekend as well to maintain sanity. I don’t want to get sick of the shakes. So today, lunch will be steamed rice and edamame and some sort of sauce and sesame seeds on it.

In this first week, the first two days, I went mental with cravings for candy and chocolate. Later in the week, I realized they had passed. The Orgain powder is about as decent tasting as any sort of drink like this could be (read the Amazon reviews to see what others say). And it helps quell the chocolate cravings.

After just under a week doing this, inches are starting to drop off. I hate the scale but will be going to my GP’s office to let him weigh me and just announce if I’ve lost or gained. Hearing my actual weight will likely derail me and it’s not the point anyway. The point is to get back to where I feel good again, can move again, fit into my clothes again.

Regarding how this stuff reacts with IBS, so far, so good! Having less bread is probably a huge part of that, in my case. Of course, YMMV. But I’m encouraged. And already am feeling pleased with myself as I ignore the crap in the stores that I was living off of for the last year or 2. I just walk the perimeter of the grocery store instead.

PS It’s my birthday today, Thursday. Yay me!

(the links to the product are affiliate links, which support Knitty.)

*ETA: It’s now November 1, and my IBS symptoms are almost completely gone. I’m thrilled. I realized that the corn maze I walked through on the weekend is something I wouldn’t have done 2 weeks ago…how the hell would I get to the bathroom in time if I needed to? This is a huge relief. Life changing, actually.

 

WWW: Amy’s Fave Yarn Shops, Yarnporium, Planned Pooling

Our own Amy was interviewed for this great piece on the USA Today website about her favourite yarn stores around North America.

If you’re in the UK, mark your calendars for the weekend of November 5 & 6 – that’s the first ever Yarn in the City Yarnporium. More than 40 vendors and instructors are gathering for a weekend of shopping and workshops, at King’s College on the Strand.

This is jaw-droppingly clever: Planned Pooling. It’s an app to simulate knitting with variegated yarns, so you can see how they pool. Yes, really!

From the New York Times: What Knitting Can Teach Us About Parenting (and life in general, I think).

Image from Etsy.

Lovely profile of yarn dyer Jill Draper, on Etsy’s “Quit Your Day Job” blog.

 

 

Teaching Almost Done for the Year and New Interweave Spinning Batts Kit

The Gathering!

The Gathering!

This year has been a whirlwind of teaching. I have met so many wonderful spinners and seen lots of beautiful places. I always get a little sad when my last teaching gig of the year comes up. Early next month Beth and I will both be teaching for The Northeast Handspinners at The Gathering, which means extra silliness since Beth and I are traveling together. My classes are full, but there are still openings in other classes, even the classes I would love to take with Cal Patch, superstar pattern drafting, crochet and embroidery teacher.

 

Essential Fiber batts

 

 

Interweave has just released the How To Spin Batts Kit that I worked on with Michelle from Essential Fiber. We came up with a colorway based on a painting, Red Canna, by Georgia O’Keefe who we both admire.

The kit comes with: 3 batts from Essential Fiber, my DVD, 12 (Plus) Ways to Spin Batts, and a copy of the new Spin and Knit 2017.

 

 

I finally updated my teaching calendar for 2017. Will I see you?

I’m spending the winter designing new classes to teach. Let me know if there’s something you’d like me to add to my class list!

 

 

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