CONTEST WINNER!!!!!!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Knitting

HURRAY!  We have a winner for the Pattern Contest.  I think Carol has hit on the botheration that most of us have faced!   Thanks Carol!

Hi,

I'd be delighted to enter your contest for a free pattern.

I have UFOs beyond number. It isn't that I don't *want* to finish things. I do. It's just that, well, things happen.  I'll be knitting a sweater for the holiday season, a gift, of course, and someone will have a baby.  The gift sweater gets put away, just "for now", while a baby blanket is crocheted. Then, having forgotten about the sweater, since out of sight is out of mind, I'll start something else, and oops! there's a birthday next week.  Best do something quick. So that project gets put aside, "for now". Or I'll get completely frustrated with a complicated pattern, and put it away "till I can look at it with fresh eyes", and concentrate for a week on dishcloths, which don't need eyes to do.

Once in a while, I'll go to my UFO pile, and pull something out, only to find that it will no longer fit the intended recipient. I'll sigh and put it back, only to start something else.  Occasionally, I pull something out and actually finish it, but I have to be very stern with myself - along the lines of "No new yarns for you, my girl, till you get this done!"  Or I'll start to finish it, and -you guessed it- someone has a baby.

Carol C

 ..........Stay tuned in for the next contest

 

Dyeing class April 25-26 Corvallis
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Chemical Dyeing

Missoula Weavers and Spinners Guild has me scheduled for Corvallis April 25-26. I think there are still a couple of openings. Good news about that is that I’ll spend the next week immersed in the dyepot (my favorite thing). Here is class description if you know anyone interested. It is for knitters, crocheters, weavers. They received a grant from the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners http://www.mawsonline.org/link text so it is pretty reasonably priced. If you know someone interested, please email me at Lindas5252@yahoo.com

Dyeing Self-Striping yarns and other variegated yarns. Dye several different self-striping yarns, matching semisolids, and optional space dyed yarn. Each colorway makes a hat, pair or socks, or scarf. Dye mock fair isle and explore uses for these yarns and how to accent their unique characteristics. Learn innovative methods to plan the length of color repeats for knitting, weaving, or crocheting using the teacher’s simple formulas. Design colorful yarns using common approaches including: split complimentary, triad, and analogous and pleasing proportions. This 2-day class includes 5 self striping methods including the peg board method, the big ball method, the big skein method, semi solids plus optional knitting machine blanks. Students will also learn about painted warps if desired and space dyed yarn.

Linda

Upcoming Spinning Classes in May
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Spinning

I’m teaching a beginning spinning classes on a wheel on May 4 Monday at my house at 11 a.m. This is for people that have a wheel, but can’t quite get it done. I also have 2 wheels that people may use that day if they don’t own one, but are interested in getting one.

On Friday May8 at 10:30 a.m at my house in the Billings Heights. I’m teaching a more advanced class called Novice Spinning. . For spinners who can spin but aren’t too experienced and need all of the main points covered. We will focus on a checkup on your wheels, spinning different fibers, appropriate plying, a little novelty yarn, basic dyeing, basics for fiber preparation and other topics depending on the classes desire. Optional–bring any fiber you have that you are having trouble handling and we’ll trouble shoot.

Both classes cost $25 and have a material fee of $9. If you are interested email me at lindas5252@yahoo.com

Yarn for a contest
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Chemical Dyeing

April 15 is over!!!  Since I still do a fair amount of tax work, I'm very glad April 15 is over.  I still have plenty of accounting work to do, but now it is on a more normal deadline.  I'm a basketball fan and participated in my first March Madness bracket pool on Ravelry.  I offered one of the prizes of some of my hand dyed yarns.  Here is a picture of the yarn I sent off to the winner of the pool.  She is Bethgirl on Ravelry.

I wasn't even close in the brackets, but it added lots of fun to the March Madness.  Some of my male friends made fun of me for a pool where the prize was yarn, but little do they know. 

I'm going to teach a dyeing class next weekend.  I'm very excited to get back in the dyepot as I prepare for the class.  Glad to be back blogging have plenty to tell about my fiber activities.  Linda

Early pattern testers
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Knitting

My second attempt at pattern writing was this easy garter slip scarf.  I designed it for knitalong that I used to attend.  Many knitters there knit it, but I didn't have enough sense to take any pictures.  One that did and who took her own picture was "our" Diana of this site.  I particularly loved the colors in this scarf even better than the ones I knit.  So thanks to Diana for knitting this, taking this picture and posting it on Ravelry. 

This pattern is known as Garter Slip Stitch.  It is a dead simple pattern, but as in all slip stitch knits a little slower than other pattern.  Slip stitch compresses the stitches, so you need to compensate with needle size.  For instance, I usually move up 2 needle sizes from the band directions for a scarf to give it more drape.  I also move up 2 needle sizes for slip stitch.  So in this case, we knit it on 4 needle sizes larger than a hat in this yarn.

When I was designing this scarf, I was on a deadline (of course).  I knew the pattern worked, but wanted an example for the knit along.  So I knit it in an semi sold yellow orange that I dyed as the main color and then a self-striping yarn I had dyed using a knitted blank in green and blue.  I thought complimentary colors right across the color wheel from each other, should be cool.  I start knitting and the first 4 inches was tolerable since that part of the colors coming together was fairly intense and seemed okay.  The longer I knit the uglier it became.  I couldn't stop because of the deadline.  So I knit on and on in slip stitch with ugly colors.  I made it in time for the deadline, but it is defintely not fun to knit ugly colors.  I showed it to the group and then immediately started knitting this sock yarn version in yarns from my stash so the group would soon forget about it (I hoped).  I showed that ugly scarf a few times to classes as what not to do and plan to unravel it.

Later I knit the purple  multicolored version which was my original concept for the scarf.  When I'm knitting my patterns I always come up with new colors and ideas I'd like to try in the pattern but then I get bored with the pattern and move on.  Someday, I'll revisit this pattern again with some new ideas.  But for now I'm on to new patterns.  That is one of the things I really like about pattern testers or others that knit my patterns, I get the pleasure of fresh exploration in colors and yarns, while I'm playing with something new.

Linda who likes this spring stuff.  I have crocuses blooming in the backyard outside my window.

Clover scarf--a wonderful pattern tester
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Knitting
I have had some pattern testers in the past and they have been helpful (more about that later).  But recently I posted for pattern testers on two Ravelry sites--Montana Crafter's and Wild Purls.  Bonnie (grizzlygirl) a knitting fiend who lives near Glacier Park volunteered to knit Clover scarf  I have never seen this pattern in a final form knit by anyone but me.  She jumped right on it and in a short time had the scarf knit in a wool/bamboo combo yarn.  She knit it at a slightly tighter gauge then I did and this yarn blocked wonderfully.  The 100% alpaca I did it in, just didn't stay blocked as well.  She immediately posted wonderful photos on ravelry and then mailed me lots of snail mail comments on improvements to the pattern.  Fortunately she didn't find pattern mistakes, but had quite a few formatting improvements.  Does it get better than that?  Linda

Advantage of being a teacher
Mood:  a-ok

One of the things I really like about being a knitting and dyeing teacher is to see how others use my concepts and create their own wonderful color combinations.  When my students pull multi-color yarn or fabric out of the dye bath, it is one of my greatest pleasures.  Same thing when people knit my patterns and I see the colors or yarns they chose.  Today a student knitted my Applied I baby blanket in a bright yellow with a multicolor I cord that was white with silk or rayon splotches of color.  Can't wait to see it next week when she has more knit because it looked great.

Then on the way home I stopped at a big quilt show and got lots of color inspiration from there.  Color, color, color   so much still to explore.  Linda

Purple Applied I baby blanket
Mood:  happy
Topic: Knitting

Here is my latest Applied I Baby Blanket.  I really enjoyed creating this pattern and this one knit fast due to the bright colors in Baby Ull by Dale of Norway.  Today when I went to TGIF at my lys and saw this blanket being knit by test knitter Judy.  She used a white yarn with a different colored I cord for each quarter.  Very cute and baby like.    Happy Friday.  Linda

Butterfly/bobbin hint from a test knitter
I have a very long post planned to explain all I've learned from my test knitters.  Today I have lots of non-fiber work to do, but I had to explain a hint a test knitter gave me today on my pattern Applied I baby blanket.  You start that blanket in the center and knit around and around.  It has intarsia I cord on each quarter of the blanket.  At first the butterflies or bobbins hanging down catch on each other and it is annoying.  One hint I learned from Kumhimo is to keep your bobbins or butterflies even lengths and they will tangle less.  Judy (emptyknitster on Ravelry) took it one step better and pinned the butterflies to the wrong side of her work.  The problem resolves itself when the blanket gets bigger.  Thanks Judy.  Coming up next is a beautiful Clover scarf knitted by a Flathead Valley knitter and she had lots of good suggestions for my pattern.  Linda

Novice Spinning Class in May
Mood:  hungry
Topic: Spinning

I headed off for my Prairie Handspinners monthly meeting.  I realized that several people wanted me to teach a novice spinning class in Billings this winter and I had never organized it.  So I plan to teach a novice class on May 1 or May 8. 

Novice Spinning Class, Friday at Linda’s house. 10:30-4:30. $25. For spinners who can spin but aren’t too experienced and need all of the main points covered.  We will focus on a checkup on your wheels, spinning different fibers, appropriate plying, a little novelty yarn, basic dyeing, basics for fiber preparation and other topics depending on the classes desire. Material fee: $9 includes 3 different types of wool, mohair and other luxury fiber, core yarn, handouts. Supply list Wheels, bobbins, lazy kate, lunch and drinks. Optional--bring any fiber you have that you are having trouble handling and we’ll trouble shoot.

Note if you want this another day, contact Linda but I don’t have any Saturday’s open in March, April, or May, but I could do weekdays or some Sundays.

 

So if you are interested in upgrading your spinning contact me.