Enid Mittens
This is the knit pattern for Gwen Erin Natural Fibers for the 2020 Yarn Discovery Tour.
Click the link below for a printable PDF of the pattern.
Episode 4: Stash Enhancement
Episode 4: Stash Enhancement
Hiya ramblers! I’m so glad to be back. Time just gets away from me. I think my plan of a weekly podcast is just too ambitious cause I’m LAZY! LOL. So I think we should plan on it being monthly and then if it is more frequent…bonus! Here are the show notes. To listen to the podcast download it from iTunes or listen directly at http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-4-stash-enhancement_2352.
Random Ramblings
The patterns I had in mind at the sale:
1. Baby Tree of Life Throw http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-tree-of-life-throw
2. A Cardigan for Merry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cardigan-for-merry
3. Outdoor Snuggle http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/outdoor-snuggle
My pile of shame and happiness after the sale
Please send me suggestions for what sweater you think I should make with the Debbie Bliss Andes yarn in the Grey colorway. It’s in the bag next to the orange yan in the pic above. 🙂
Knit WIP
1. Forest Path Stole: hibernating
2. Zig Zag Socks: I did maybe one pattern repeat. Still on the leg of the sock
3. Baby Tree of Life Throw: see pic below
Friend and FO
1. Baby Hats and Booties
2. Duncan Herschl the Penguin
3. Sheep Hat
4. Spa Day Hand Towel
5. Entrelac Bag
Rambling in Circles
Here’s my new spinning wheel. No name yet. Feel free to give me suggestions for a name. 🙂
Here’s a link for info on how to dye using pokeberries: http://osbornfiber.com/2010/09/27/dyeing-with-pokeberries/
Geek Out
Watch for Agents of Shield on ABC starting September 24th. For more info about the show and sneak peeks try this website http://abc.go.com/shows/marvels-agents-of-shield.
Welcome to Nightvale is one of my fav new podcasts. I think its a mix of NPR with X-Files. You can find it on i-tunes and http://feeds.feedburner.com/WelcomeToNightVale.
Chub Creek is great! I mean it. I love this podcast. It’s just nice. Dave has a calm demeanor and talks about life and nature and anything that crosses his mind. Plus he has a cute Canadian accent. 🙂 You can find the podcast on i-tunes and at www.chubcreek.com. Don’t be a dink, listen to it.
Fiber Friends Assemble
Special Events:
1. Knitters Day Out is on September 6-7 in Summerdale, PA. http://knittersdayout.org/
2. Alpaca Outback Open House is on September 28 in Sharpsville, PA. Check out their facebook page for more info at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alpaca-Outback/123401637723740
3. Autumn Fiber Festival is on October 19th in Ashland, OH. For more information check out their website at http://www.autumnfiberfestival.com/.
Regular Knitting, Spinning, Crochet groups
1. Mondays 5-7 pm at Something’s Brewin in the Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage, PA.
2. Tuesdays 10:30 am – 1:00 pm at Something’s Brewin in the Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage, PA.
3. Thursdays 6-8 pm at Wolf Creek Yarns in Grove City, PA
4. Variable times at Never Enough Yarn in Sharon, PA
Classes
Check out the facebook pages for Wolf Creek Yarns and Never Enough Yarn to find their class schedules. Both shops teach knit and crochet classes. Find a class that fits your interests and learn a new skill. If you want to just learn the basics of knitting or crochet or just need a refresher you are welcome at the Monday and Tuesday groups at Something’s Brewin.
Music
This week’s music included Rambling Girl by The Beggars Lake and Most Guitars are Made of Trees by Greg Gibbs.
Tracking the Rambling Knitter
The show notes and blog are right here at http://www.ramblingknitter.wordpress.com.
Like me on Facebook as The Rambling Knitter.
Email me at ramblingknitter.gmail.com
Listen to the podcast on iTunes or at http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/ramblingknitter.
The rambling knitter must have gotten lost!
Hello my rambling friends! I’ve missed posting for about two weeks now. As you may have guessed I’ve been rambling around the Midwest instead of on my podcast and blog. As you may have guessed from this post there will once again be no podcast this week as today is my birthday and I leave tomorrow to attend my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary and vow renewal.
So, what is on the needles? Exactly the same stuff with little to no progress on all. Not exciting at all. I have not really worked on the ood washcloth either. I did design and test knit a Doctor Who inspired double knit trivet. Once I make a few adjustments to the pattern I will be posting it on ravelry as a free download and here on the blog.
I have done almost no spinning either. What I have done is started preparing the fleeces my father’s cousin’s daughter sent me. There were 4 lamb fleeces waiting for me on my porch when we returned from Origins! On Wednesday this week Tracy and Jan from my stitching group stopped by and we broke out the fleeces! STANKY but with nice crimp. We got about 1/4 of it all picked through and I got a lesson in hand carding. On Thursday I went on a little shopping spree to get bins, lingerie bags and blue dawn to wash the fleece. I was and still am scared to death that I am going to felt this wool when I wash it! One batch has now gone through 2 washes and two rinse baths and I don’t think it’s felted. Lots more to do though, so keep your fingers crossed for me!
Lets geek out about board games! Last week from Wednesday through Sunday my husband and I went to Origins Game Fair in Columbus. It was great! We played tons of games, made some convention friends, and ate good food! The ravelry meet-up/kip on Friday went really well. Hanna of The Traveling Sock Knitter came and we drummed up 3 other knitters while there. One I met while in the rio grande room when I asked if she made the scarf she was wearing. Turned out she did!
There were so many board games that we played and gagillions that we didn’t have time to get to. So here I’ll just tell you about the game I liked best. Mice and Mystics is a coop game where all the players play as humans who have been turned into mice. These mice each have their own characteristics that give different bonuses toward attack or healing or searching etc. The point of the game is to go through the stories and achieve quests while staying safe from monsters such as roaches, spiders, rats, centipedes, etc. I like the coop style games alot and the simplicity of this game is also appealing. Plus it’s cute to be a mouse!
Fiber Friends assemble is limited this week. As always there are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday groups. Never Enough Yarn in Sharon PA has released their class schedule for July which you can check out in their Facebook page. TNNA is in Columbus at the convention center this weekend. You can only get in though if you are a business owner related to fiber arts. Our own Wolf Creek Yarns will be there!
I think that’s plenty of rambling for now. I will try to get an actual podcast out next week before Friday. I can’t do Friday because I will be rehearsing all day for the reunion concert I am participating in the next day. Also my parents will be in town. I am hoping to get back into normal podcast schedule in July!
KEEP RAMBLING ON!
Pics of Projects
Ok here are the promised pics of my current projects.
Forest Path Stole
Here is what it looks like in it’s current state.
These are each of the lace sections.
The evil but beautiful birch leaf.
Lily of the Valley
Fern
Zig Zag Socks
Linen Stitch Scarf
Lavender Sheep Roving
Episode 1 is LIVE!
Episode 1 of The Rambling Knitter is LIVE! I can’t believe it. There were a few bobbles along the way and quite a few uhhs and ummms, but overall I’m super psyched about it. The feed has been submitted to Itunes and should now be available there. The link below is to the feed on podbean where you can listen to the podcast.
http://ramblingknitter.podbean.com/feed/
Show Notes:
Looking for my podcast inspiration? The shows I mentioned during episode 1 are Cast On, Knit 1 Geek 2, Chubb Creek, and Probably Science. All of these are available on i-tunes.
Current Projects
- Forest Path Stole: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/1RamblingKnitter/forest-path-stole
- ZigZag Socks: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/1RamblingKnitter/lacy-zig-zag-socks
- Linen Stitch Scarf: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/1RamblingKnitter/linen-stitch-yarn-tasting-scarf
- Lavender Sheep Roving: www.lavendersheep.com
Fiber Events:
- Herb and Fiber Festival http://sawmill.org/festivals.htm, June 1 & 2
- Craft Show and Chinese Auction: Jefferson Township Building near Hermitage PA, June 1, 10 am – 3 pm
- Wolf Creek Yarns Knitting Group Thursdays 6 – 8 pm. Wolf Creek Yarns on Facebook.
- Something’s Brewin Stitchers Group Mondays 5-7 pm and Tuesdays 10:30 am – noonish. In the Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage, PA
- Never Enough Yarn on Facebook
Geeking Out
- Origins http://www.originsgamefair.com/: Games I mentioned: Defenders of the Realm, T’zolkin, Dominion, Jaipur, Omen, Dungeons & Dragons, and Mouse Guard
- Geek and Sundry http://geekandsundry.com/
Be a responsible pet owner and leash/supervise your dog!
Music by Uke Stanza entitled “My Ol Dog, Green” http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Uke_Stanza/none_given_1783/
Gauge Lessons Learned
The scrubbie knitting saga continues. The second attempt at the scrubbie is better than the first, but still not great.
Double knitting seemed like the answer with scrubber on one side and cotton on the other. This is the first double knitting I’ve ever attempted. And being the stubborn woman that I am I just had to figure out how to do it without looking anything up. So here’s how i did it.
Cast on 20 with both strands together using long tail.
Plastic string is A. Cotton yarn is B.
First row: Knit the first stitch with both strands together. Separate the A and B strands for the next 36 sts. Hold A always in back after the stitch and B always in front after the stitch. Using A, purl the single strand of A then put working yarn in back. Using B, knit the single strand of B then put B working yarn in front. Continue this across all 36 sts. Knit the last stitch with both strands held together.
KABtog, (PA, KB)repeat 18x, KABtog
Second row: Knit the first stitch with both strands together. The next 36 sts are already separated. Move both working yarns to the front. Purl B then move B working yarn to back. Knit A then move working A yarn to front. Continue this across 36 sts. Knit the last stitch with both strands held together.
KABtog, (PB, KA)repeat 18x, KABtog
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have a square.
Cast off row: Knit first stitch with both strands together. Knit Strands A and B together with both strands held together. Pass first stitch over second. Knit strands A and B together with both strands held together, pass previous stitch over new stitch. Continue in this manner until only 1 stitch remains. Pull strands through last stitch. Weave in ends.
Now what does this have to do with gauge? As I was about 1/3 of the way through I thought I should change so that the purl side should be visible on the plastic side to make a bumpier surface for scrubbing. So I adjusted for that and went on my merry way then when I got to 2/3rds I switched back to knit on the plastic side so that it would be even on both sides. Seems like a good idea right? Wrong, well kinda wrong. Yes it was a good idea to have the purl side out, but doing this changed my gauge so now I have a somewhat square, but wrinkly piece that certainly will clean dishes, but won’t look great doing it.
If I were to do this double knit scrubbie again I would do purl side out for both the plastic and cotton sides. I would also use DK weight cotton or two strands of plastic together with worsted cotton to even out the tension on each side.
To create the purl side out knitting follow the instructions as above with these changes:
Row 1: KABtog, (KA, keep A yarn in back, PB, keep B yarn in front)x18, KABtog
Row 2: KABtog, (KB, keep B yarn in back, PA, keep A yarn in front)x18, KABtog
Please contact me if you find an error in this pattern or have suggestions for a better scrubbie.
Toodle-oo
Unconventional Materials Challenge
Inspiration has struck. Well, maybe it struck someone else and I expanded on it. That’s the same thing right? At my knitting group last night one of the other women was talking about this string she saw at Lowes that she thought could be made into kitchen scrubbies. So I jumped on the idea. For 88 cents at Lowes you can buy a 200 ft ball of Blue Hawk Multi-Color Dazzle Twine. I thought I could knit a rectangle and then cinch the center, but that didn’t work. So all I have now is a swatch. The swatch itself would actually work great just as it is. I think I might have to think a bit more on this.
If you’d like to make the scrubbie swatch, it’s simple. Cast on 20 with the twine described above on US size 6 needles. Knit in garter stitch until you have a square. Cast off in whatever way you like. If you come up with a plan for a better scrubbie please let me know!
Exfoliate!
The best things in life are actually mash ups of two or more of the best things in life. This washcloth is the perfect example of this. Knitting and Dr. Who all rolled into one. The pattern for this can be found on Ravelry and was a free download.
Of course this leads me to muggles. Unfortunately my lovely dalek goes unappreciated by guests. Not that they don’t enjoy a hand knit washcloth. They just don’t know what a dalek is and can’t understand why I would knit something with a robot on it. The Exfoliate! reference is completely lost on them. So what’s a nerd girl to do? Strap them down Clockwork Orange style and run a Who marathon?
The Rambling Knitter 