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Lucy Neatby’s Cables After Whiskey — Tahki’s Donegal Tweed

Lucy Neatby’s Cables After Whiskey — Tahki’s Donegal Tweed

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I completed my machine knit sweater!  Here are the specs:

Tahkai’s Donegal Tweed in red, about 3.5 skeins
Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, child sweater, 4 stitches/inch
Knitting machine gauge set at 7

Because I wasn’t ready to deal with the ribber, I made I-cord (a dream on the machine!) for edging.  I tried fake rib, but on the bulky machine it looked weird.  I will attempt to put the ribber into service before my next sweater.

I followed the pattern pretty faithfully, but before the second sleeve it was clear they were too long.  The pattern called for 14" before decreasing for the cap sleeve.  I made it 13" and (note the rolled up sleeves) it was still too long.  I hope that means he’ll wear it longer.

During finishing Peggy noticed that the neck was too small.  So, I put two buttons at the neck and T3’s big head fits just fine now.

All in all it was a good project to get started on the machine.  I did a gauge, I-cord, increases, decreases, and bind-offs.  If I had worked all the way through and not re-done so many pieces I could have easily completed the four pieces in a day.

Much to the surprise of my fellow knitters, Beth and Peggy, I had never sewn a sweater together.  For seven years I’ve always bought patterns that didn’t need finishing or re-wrote the patterns so I didn’t have to put them together.  The most I’d done was three-needle bind-off of shoulders.  So, Peggy showed me how–she even offered to do it for me!–but I persevered.  I’m proud of myself.

Here’s a picture of T2 and T3, each in Donegal sweaters.  T2’s striped sweater is at least two years old.  I just fixed the cuff again (he keeps wearing it out).

Thanks to Beth, Peggy and Susan for getting me through this project–the support and inspiration was much needed.  It’s fun to do something new, but this was a bit too new for me.  Now that I’ve had success, I’ll give the ribber a try and then jump into another sweater (for the DH maybe?).  I know an essay on machine vs. hand knitting is going to come up soon as well.

I spend a lot of time on-line.  Probably too much time.  I often come across cool patterns and references that I’d like to share with you–and keep for myself.  Since the demise of my last computer, it’s very clear to me that keeping links/bookmarks on my own machine does nothing in the event that the hard drive dies and doesn’t let any one else know what I’ve got squirreled away.

So, now I’ve got a del.icio.us page.  When I find something I want to keep track of, a pattern I want to find again, or a reference I don’t want to lose, I’ll post it there.  Drop by and see what I’ve found so far. I’ll probably make a link to it as well.

In other news, please check out the new issue of Wild Fibers Magazine. I’ve got a dyeing article published there, but the reason why you should read this magazine is the incredible photos and layouts.  This issue is fantastic and well worth tracking down if you don’t have a subscription.  The editor loves to travel and this time she’s off with the camels in the Gobi desert and weaving in the Andes.  The pictures are well worth your time.

I’m writing from my new computer, so feel free to click on the Google ads on the page to help pay for it ;-).

Tomorrow I’ll have pictures from another project I completed (my knitting machine sweater), and I’ll add some more pictures in my WIP album.

I was tagged this morning by Petula * Darling.  So, here are Six Things You Never Knew About Me:

• I used to hunt (small birds: dove, duck) and skeet shoot with my dad when I was a teenager. I hated cleaning the birds, but I loved the skeet shooting.  I used to target shoot at Beverly Hills Gun Club after college (and before grad school).
• I home birthed two of my children (T2 and T3).
• I wanted to be an attorney from the time I was eleven and went to law school for 1.5 years after college.
• I had never been outside California for more than two weeks when I moved to Maine.
• I’ve been SCUBA diving in the Bahamas and Cozumel.
• I’d never sewn a seam in a sweater until this week–I choose or rewrite knitting patterns so I don’t have to do that sort of finishing (so, why did I buy a knitting machine???).

Consider yourself tagged! (Since Petula * Darling tagged the other two bloggers I know)

Lack of a computer has kept me a busy gal.  I completed some socks last night:

Using my favorite Yankee Knitter pattern these socks are Briggs and Little’s Durasport (which we have at the store, but isn’t on the website).  It’s wool and nylon, but only comes in four colors.  My itchy dyeing fingers put an end to that!  I actually dyed two skeins in this "colorway".  The first was "typical" dyeing–putting out the skein (tied in the two yard length it came in) and carefully applying dye.  The second (this one) was put out in a 40 foot skein, then dyed in stripes.  I had estimated that it would take six to eight feet of yarn to knit up into a quarter inch of sock stripe on fingering weight yarn.

I was right, but getting eight feet of one color was a bear.  It worked on the hot fuschia, but the turquoise wasn’t as clear.

Here’s the "typical" sock, that was completed a few months ago.  It’s wet in this picture, having been just taken out of the washer.  It’s got a few months of wear (hence the fuzzy halo), but you can see how the stripes are different.

One more comparison:

Note that the ball of yarn with the pair of socks is the leftovers after two socks were knit.  From weighing them I know I can get another sock out of each ball.  So, in the end I will have knit six socks (three pair) from two skeins of yarn.  Oh, and each skein is $5.95.  The best deal in town.  Just add dye.

Some days you are struck by inspiration.  Or, just struck.  Yesterday, at work, I saw a seemly innocent pile of sheep puppets.  We often have a few around, but the Boss just ordered a 1/2 dozen which had been placed up on a high shelf, looking forlorn.

I had a flashback to the Wallace and Gromit short "A Close Shave", which is mentioned in my "movies that knit" in the left column.  In it, W&G rescue a herd of sheep from the evil mechanical dog, Preston. The getaway sequence has the heroes and the flock on a motorcycle, shifting into different configurations to stay on the moving vehicle.  Here’s a picture of them at a stop, reaching Gromit in prison:

Then they drive away, and at one point are positioned as an upside down pyramid.  I couldn’t quite do that in the window of the shop, so I did this instead:

Note the cartoon bubble above the sheep on the left.

If you’d like to adopt (buy) one of these lovely ladies, give us a call at Unique One,
we’ll ship you one–but it will mess up the pyramid.

In other news: I ordered a new computer at 6:15 am today.  She should be here within two weeks.  Yeah!

This time of year I usually do more knitting than spinning, and this year is no different.  But today I noticed how dusty my favorite spinning wheel has become.  And, now I’m thinking about spinning.  I need to order some superwash Merino for the dyeing workshop I’m working on for March, but right now I’ve not got much to spin. Nothing at all hand-dyed (gasp!).

I always have some fleece from Hatchtown Farm.  I believe I’ve got parts of Patch’s and Bergetta’s fleeces and all of Godiva’s.  These are all lovely covered Coopworth fleeces from Pam and Jim Child.  It’s almost shearing time again (I believe I heard a rumor of Valentine’s Day for shearing).  I try my best to go down and help out.  I get to run my hands through many fabulous fleeces and get first dibs on them.  I wish I could spin as fast as I can covet.  The other problem is that I like unwashed fleeces.  I think they smell lovely.  So, I don’t want to wash them.

I’ll be good and take pictures  at shearing this year.

I bought a couple of fleeces at the Fiber Frolic last year and have only played with a bit of each.  They were bought as dyeing fodder and they’ve performed well for that.  I believe they were Coopworth/Cormo crosses; one white, the other light grey.  I wash a bit and dye it, but seldom seem to get it spun.

This fall my friend, Marie, was gifted seven fleeces that she passed on to me and the Midcoast Spinners. They are probably Corriedale crosses.  If anyone local would like one, drop me a line and we’ll get together.  They are very dirty, but the fleece is decent.  There are still colored and white ones left.

So, what do you spin?