knitting kitchen

So I’ll a few pictures do the trick.

I can’t type and spin so you can blame Jenkins Woodworking for the lack of blogging.

That’s an 8gm Jenkins Holly Kuchulu and a 14gm Jenkins Big Leaf Maple Lark.

This is a Jenkins Standard Turkish spindle in Purpleheart. It weighs a wopping 58gms.

Here’s what can be done with the 8 gm Kuchulu and some silk

The natural colored yarn is the yarn spun and plied on the purpleheart. It looks like the the light weight holly is just the thing for spinning thread.  Why would anyone spin silk thread (and on a spindle rather than a wheel)? As always, because I can!

Things have been stressful here in NM, CT lately.  With everyone heading back to school, it’s transformed our generally chaotic pediatrician’s office into a flurry of school forms and freshly immunized children.  All of that excitement is bound to spill over into the rest of life.

Our friend Stephen brought over the board game Attack! last weekend. We spent the better part of Saturday (okay, and much of the wee hours of Sunday) doing our best to rule the world.  Who would have imagined that Olivia is the diplomat/dictator nonpareil?

Those are just some of Olivia’s resources in grey.

I seem to be unwinding by putting all my twist energy into fiber.  It’s the hand spindle I’m addicted to.  Mark made me several of varying weights and I fill every spare minute with spin.  I’m getting better at consciously creating the yarn I want but there are always surprises. I spun a little bit of silk and merino with a support spindle (that’s the tiny skein all the way to the right).  I was aiming for a lace weight yarn and I got it! 34 wraps per inch in a sweet little two-ply yarn.  Pretty soon I’ll be spinning just like the big girls.

So emboldened was I, that I signed myself up for the Russian supported spinning class taught by Galina Khmeleva at Rhinebeck this year. Last year, I took a class in Shetland colorwork taught by Nancy Shroyer. I had a wonderful time and learned a few things.  Did you know, that if you take a workshop at Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool, they give you a two-day pass to the festival? It’s such a bargain!

When I’m not working or spinning, I’m lurking on a few of the spinning boards on Ravelry, making and remaking my list of techniques and spindles to try (and/or buy at Rhinebeck!?).  One Raveler was rehoming one of her Jensen Turkish spindles. It was supposed to find it’s way to my home, but through an unfortunate mix-up, it went somewhere else. I assuaged my sadness by buying one directly from Ed and Wanda Jenkins.  It arrived in short order, beautifully packaged with samples of fiber to try.  It is even prettier than I imagined and spins like a dream. I do not know how to spin with a Turkish spindle well, but I expect that buy the end of this three-day weekend, I’ll have it under control.

The trend among some Ravelers is to name their Jenkins spindles. I, of course, find this to be ridiculously childish.  At least I did until we had been properly introduced. She’s so cute, I just want to take her with me everywhere I travel even if all I have time for is to be warmed by the promise of future quality time.

This year I submitted four items, a sweater, a holiday stocking, a lace shawl, and a hat. The sweater and the hat won second place ribbons. The shawl and the stocking won first place ribbons.

As ever, my aversion to crowds dissuaded me from checking out my competition. Although while I was waiting in line to submit my entries, I ran into Amy, formerly of Selma’s yarn shop which used to be in Southbury. She had two pairs of ‘Magnificent Mittens’ from the Anna Zilboorg book. It was nice to see her again and I asked for her email address. I’m just glad I didn’t submit anything in the mitten/glove category.

Daughter #2 went to the fair on Friday night and said she has never looked in the needlework tent - this was her first time. She said she expected there to be many more knitted objects than there were. I’m thinking that I may have to start a knit along group to incite competition. All knitted objects have to be created in the 12 months preceding that year’s fair which makes today ‘Preparing for the Bridgewater Fair’ day #1!

I told M I wanted a couple different spindles. He’s made me several drop spindles, all with slight variations, to see which ones I liked for different reasons. He kept making them lighter and lighter because I’ve been on a lace knitting jag and I thought it would be nice to have a really light spindle to spin lace weight yarn.

I’m still new to spinning on a spindle, but I quickly figured out that using a supported spindle would increase my chances of spinning lace weight yarn as I wouldn’t be fighting the weight of the spindle.  I spent some time reading about Russian support spindles and found some made by gripping yarns that I’m simply mad for.  Lisa, the owner of gripping yarns, has also made several wonderful videos about supported spinning.  It’s from these videos that I learn to spin this way.

Armed with a photo of the spindle I’m pining for, M made me the one in the center.  The other support spindle in the picture is the result of M trying to teach me what you can and can’t do on his lathe. Not quite as pretty as some, but it spins beautifully.

Here is one of the drop spindles M made me full of yarn spun and plied on drop spindles.

Here is the skein, 103 yards, 16 wpi, 26 grams.

Then, just to break things up, Olivia and I spent some time making speakers for our ipods.  We used the speakers from those annoying greeting cards that play music when you open them. They work great with the ipod, but without an amplifier, they aren’t loud enough to use with a laptop.

After all the spindle spinning, I was ready to break out my spinning wheel. My hope was that all of the close up attention I’d given to drafting would pay off.  In my opinion, it has. Here is my skein of Blue Face Leicester, 104 grams, 366 yards, 14 wraps per inch. I spun this worsted, which I’d always had trouble with doing successfully. The secret for me was to divide the top in to strips and then predraft.

I can’t really explain why the experience of spinning is so satisfying. I simply love having my hands in the fiber. While I’m busy contemplating this, I’ll just keep spinning while listening to books on my iphone as played through my bran flakes box.

Haruni, pattern by Emily Ross, is finished. I knitted it using Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (3.625 skeins) and size US 4 needles.

I had purchased 4 skeins of the Silky Wool when we went to Newport, RI a couple weeks ago. I thought that I would make a summer tank top or something. I knew at the time it was a bad idea to buy yarn without a specific project in mind, but when has that stopped me? The yarn worked up beautifully in this pattern, which I loved knitting. It is very easy and intuitive.  M asked, “Who wears shawls?” I haven’t the faintest idea. I find that knitting a logical pattern from a graph relaxes my mind after a hectic day at work. If that ends up producing a shawl, so be it. Whenever I see this one, I’ll think of the Tennis Hall of Fame and The Irregulars by Jennet Conant (as story about Roald Dahl as a spy in the US)

1920's Keds