Mandy Moore's Blog, page 39
March 16, 2016
WWW: Yarn documentary; on Craftivism; Kate classes in Austin, Texas
From the Knits for Life blog.
Monday of this week, March 14th, was celebrated by the numerically inclined as Pi Day. We were reminded of these fantastic ‘knit’ pies that were created for last year’s Pi Day, by the very clever Lorna and Jill of the Knits for Life blog. Even if you don’t remember what Pi is, or have the slightest interest in celebrating mathematics, you can’t help but love these!
Very handsome! The guy isn’t bad, either.
Love this: a History of the Aran Sweater, in nifty interactive timeline format, with bonus picture of actor Steve McQueen sporting a really fabulous example of the form. Joking aside, this is fascinating, and features a lot of images of really great garments. It also quietly debunks a few myths.
A tiny bit of spicy language on this page, but worth a visit: information about upcoming documentary Yarn, which premiered at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas last weekend. In the words of the filmmakers…
The traditional crafts of crochet and knitting have become one of the hottest movements in modern art. We follow a few International artists and knitters as they bring yarn to the streets and into our lives in new ways. Starting in Iceland, this quirky and thought-provoking film takes us on a colourful and global journey as we discover how yarn connects us all.
More info at the film’s website, and you can watch the trailer here.
Speaking of Austin, I’m going there at the beginning of April to teach a weekend’s worth of classes for the Austin Knit and Crochet Guild. Saturday April 9 is all about socks – a full day class on custom fitting, and heels and toes and different ways to make socks and problem solving – Sunday the 10th there are two classes: Fixing Mistakes in Lace, and Fearless Finishing. There are a few spots in the classes open to non-members. More info here… come join me?
Language and politics alert: NSFW or children or those who don’t like swearing. You may or may not agree with everything the author has to say, but I really enjoyed (and had my eyes opened) by this piece by noted Craftivist Cath Janes, about her art and her message.
Exciting news: our fearless and lovely editor is healing well after her Carpal Tunnel surgery last week. She’ll be back at the keyboard and needles in no time.
I’m getting my hand back! #carpaltunnelsurgery #bigbandaid #stitchesunderthere #healingnicely
A photo posted by Amy Singer (@amysinger) on Mar 15, 2016 at 5:24am PDT
March 15, 2016
How KnittyBlog Readers Organize Their Stashes
Spinning the stash down
In February I felt like my stash was going to eat me alive if I didn’t tame it. I asked all of you how you organize your spinning stash and here’s what you said.
A few people ‘don’t have a very big stash’ and just spin for projects. Clearly this lifestyle will not work for me.
Most spinners sort by fiber, keeping commercially prepped and fleeces separate.
A couple of you sort by color and one person said she sorts by dyer.
A bunch of you have your whole (or most of it) stash on Ravelry. That seems like a crazy amount of work.
Lots of Knitty spinners use big Rubbermaid bins that are numbered for easy fiber finding.
The spinners closest to my heart have their stashes stashed all over the house.
No one mentioned using a spreadsheet to keep track of fiber. I do that with my teaching fiber and am considering it for my personal fiber too. I think bins are the way to go. Right now, I’m inclined to sort by dyer in the instances I have a lot by a particular one. But other than that I’ll sort by fiber.
More yarn, less stash
Here’s my next stash-based question – What do you do with fiber that is not so great anymore? Fiber that is compacted or in a color or fiber you aren’t too fond of any longer? Do you give it away or trade with other spinners? Combine it into new colorways or make batts or, gasp, just chuck it?
Inquiring spinners want to know!
March 9, 2016
WWW: Old books, new fabrics, best knitting-in-public photograph ever?
Knitter’s quilting fabrics. Swoon.
How a search for a pair of mittens kicked off a lifetime’s work studying knitting and culture. I adore the anecdote knitter and academic Jessica Klemz tells about buying a book of mitten patterns from an old Latvian shopkeeper: “Oh, we don’t need the book anymore. We just memorize the patterns.”
Speaking of old books, I picked up a copy of this when I was recently in the UK: a reprint of James Norbury’s 1957 Penguin Knitting Book. It’s a straight reprint, and it’s utterly and charmingly vintage. Buy a copy here, and read more about it on the KnitBritish website.
A previous installation by the artist at the same venue.
Argh, so sorry I missed this: the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC this past weekend hosted an amazing live installation this past weekend: the entire lobby was turned into a ‘knitting factory’, by Liz Collins, and six other artists. This event was the finale of Liz Collins’ “KNITTING NATION” series — which launched in 2005 on Governor’s Island and has traveled to 14 different locations since then.
Job posting: a knitting instructor is needed in the Seattle area for a children’s recreation program.
And I think this may well take the cake for being the greatest ever photograph of a knitter. Thanks to Bonne Marie Burns for bringing it to my attention!
A photo posted by Chic Knits (@bonnemarieburns) on Mar 8, 2016 at 1:21pm PST
March 8, 2016
What Is Your Favorite Spindle?
No, this isn’t a new Monty Python movie. It’s feeling like spring here in Michigan and there is something about spring that makes me want to spin on a spindle.
Maybe it’s the run-away-to-the-woods feeling I get when the weather changes, or I get convinced that I can spin a sweater’s worth of yarn on a spindle like Sarah Swett.
When the weather starts warming up, I dust off my spindles and spin on them. I also dream about adding to my spindle flock. I have about 40 right now, some I use a lot. Some I don’t use very much, but wouldn’t get rid of them because they have too many memories wound up on them (see what I did there?).
Do you spindle spin all year round, or just at certain times? Do you have a favorite spindle? A favorite thing to spin for on a spindle? What spindle should I get this year?
March 2, 2016
WWW: Alternatives to Superwash (and why); Vikings and Wool; Lamb-Cam
I would love this article for its punny subhead, regardless of the content, but it is actually a fascinating read.
“No Wool, No Vikings – The Fleece That Launched a Thousand Ships“ – on the importance of wool to the Viking culture.
Following up on a discussion I had on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, a terrific post outlining alternatives to superwash wool. (There are several reasons you might wish to avoid superwash wool: environmental, or to do with the fabric. Superwash wools tend to be stretchy, and in larger, seamless pieces, they are inclined to grow more than you might expect, and even lose their bounce-back.)
Speaking of sheep, St Fagans Natural History Museum in Wales is launching a “lamb-cam” on March 1st, which will provide a live stream of their rare-breed ewes through the lambing season. Be prepared for wonderfulness. There’s also a blog that will provide updates, and a Baa Chart, which will track births.
Image copyright Ian Lawson, from the BBC website.
Eye-candy of the highest order: a photo essay on the production of Harris Tweed fabrics.
The photographs are a small selection of those taken by Ian Lawson, who worked with the Harris Tweed authority over ten years to capture these images. They will be on display at two galleries in the U.K. this year, one in Penrith, one in Stornoway.
Happy owl.
We’ve written before about the initiatives to created hand-knitted (or crocheted) nests for orphaned baby birds, but I was utterly captivated by the photographs in this story of a Canadian knitter who got involved while recovering from an injury. and it’s not just birds that are benefitting…. squirrels and hedgehogs like them too!
March 1, 2016
Yarn Fest is Almost Here – Will You Be Spinning with Me?
All the plies
Happy March! Spring is on it’s way even though here in Michigan there is a fresh blanket of snow on the ground this morning.
Interweave’s Yarn Fest is coming up, will I see any of you in my classes? I still have a few openings. Here’s what I’m teaching:
Spin a Funky Chicken: Beginning Texture and Art Yarn Spinning (Thursday morning): This class was suggested by a student from last year. Not sure if texture or art yarns are for you? Want to just give it a little try? This is your class. We’ll do a little thick and thin spinning, a little spiral, a little core spinning. Just a taste, a little step off of the path of smooth yarns.
Twist and Ply: The Difference Ply and Twist Direction Make to Your Knitting(Thursday afternoon): This is the class where I share some of my favorite a-ha spinning moments. I always knew the number of plies and the direction of twist had an impact on my knitting, but I didn’t realize how much until I spun samples and looked at them side by side. Come see and spin your own samples.
Yarnitecture : Building Exactly the Yarn You Want (Friday all day): This class will walk you through all the steps of choosing,
mmmmm, batts!
fiber, preparation, draft, ply and finish for creating the yarn you want to knit. Looking to knit lace or cables? Come and see how each decision along the way will help you make a better yarn. We also spend a lot of time working with color, whipping variegated braids into shape. This is the class that my new book is based on. It’s coming out this summer from Storey Publishing.
I like Big Yarn and I Cannot Lie: Spinning Big and Lofty Yarn (Saturday morning): You only have to spin giant yarns in this class if you want to. My aim in this class is to get you spinning yarns that are big for you! If you are a lace weight spinner, worsted weight may seem huge and I will get you there. This is a great class too, if you are a worsted drafter who wants to work on your woolen drafting skills because woolen=fluffy.
Batts in the Belfry: Spinning Batts (Sunday morning): Want to dig into batt spinning, but don’t want to use your own stash? In this class you get 7 different good-sized batts. Enough batts to spin in class with the lessons and still have some take home to practice so you feel confident spinning any type of batt you buy.
Esteemed author and tech editing goddess Kate Atherley is teaching at Yarn Fest, too. She has spots in some of her classes as well. Here’s her list:
Custom Fit Socks (3 hours): Thursday Morning
Two Socks, Side By Side (3 hours): Thursday Afternoon
Two Socks in One: The War & Peace Method (3 hours): Friday Morning & Saturday Morning
Custom Fit Socks (3 hours): Friday Afternoon
Math for Knitters (3 hours): Saturday Afternoon
The Pi Shawl (3 hours): Sunday
I hope to spin with you!
February 25, 2016
Obsession Thursday: Spindling
Spindling, cider, relaxation. Life is good.
I just got back from teaching at a weekend retreat for the lovely women who run Knit Social (they’re also the folks behind the fabulously popular Knit City fiber event that happens in Vancouver every October).
As my hands are still rather flipper-like until I have my carpal tunnel surgery next month, bringing knitting along wasn’t practical. Instead, I thought I might try spindling again, since I’ve found it uses different muscles than the ones that I’ve overused and doesn’t aggravate my messed-up nerves.
Look! It was successful! I spun more on my Jenkins Turkish Delight spindle this weekend than I have in the past year, on anything. The fiber is baby camel, and I remember buying it at the same time as the spindle. At the second Sock Summit in Portland in 2011. Yup, that’s how long this particular fiber has been sitting on this spindle, waiting to be finished.
I got a lot done over the weekend, in small bursts. It was a lovely feeling, being productive again. Here are some images so you can enjoy the gorgeous fiber and exquisite spinning tool that I used.
the underbelly of my Jenkins. hard to get, as spindles go, and very much worth the wait.
I love the little cushion of singles this spindle makes.
Starting a 2nd cop, with the first one waiting patiently to be plied once I’m all done.
February 24, 2016
WWW: Water drops for Flint; Sheep on the Move; the Fashion Industry’s Knitwear Designer
Love this: a pattern for a sweet little raindrop, by designer Nicole Drouillard. I can imagine a few of these hanging in my office window, and I’ve got lots of yarn leftovers I can use.
Best of all: the pattern raises funds for a much needed cause. To quote from the Ravelry description:
In 2014, the city of Flint, against the wishes of elected officials, had their water supply changed from Lake Huron to the Flint River in order to save the city money. However, the water from the Flint River was slightly corrosive, and after opting out of corrosion control to save even more money, the water began leaching lead from old pipes directly into the drinking water. Children in the poverty-stricken city began showing symptoms of lead poisoning. This went public in a huge way, and now affected residents are forced to use bottled water and filters any time they need water in their day to day life. Making coffee, tea, boiling pasta, bathing, and brushing one’s teeth are suddenly dangerous activities.
The proceeds from the sale of this pattern will be donated directly to United Way of Genesee County, a charity that is directly on the front lines of this disaster, who are purchasing water, installing filters, and supplying test kits for Flint residents.
One of Vladimir’s designs, in the Fall 2014 Oscar De La Renta show.
A fascinating profile of New York-based knitwear designer Vladimir Teriokhin. A former classical ballet dancer in the Soviet Union, for years Vladimir has been making a living as a behind-the-scenes knitwear consultant to major fashion designers. He’s now making a name for himself with his own designs, both in patterns for handknitting, and ready-to-wear items. I loved the insights into the fashion industry.
This is utterly mesmerizing: drone footage of sheep being moved from one field to another, in New Zealand.
The first in a series of articles for Countryside Magazine in the UK by designer Martin Curtis. He is working to launch a range of Shetland wool blankets and home items, and in the article he talks about the production of the blankets, right down to details of spinning the fibre.
Looks like paradise.
Still pondering summer holiday plans? Perhaps a knitting cruise off the coast of Maine? There are three excursions to choose from, some with a spinning emphasis, some with more knitting. A lovely way to spend a few days.
February 23, 2016
90,000-Year-Old String Found
Spinning is older than scientists thought.
Scientists have found string they believe to be 90,000 years old in south-east France. Bruce Hardy and his team from Kenyon College found, “..0.7-millimetre-long plant fibres that are twisted together …” An article in New Scientist goes on to say that these fibers are not naturally twisted together in nature.
Which of course means that spinning and spinners have been around a lot longer than originally thought.
Do you remember your first yarn? I didn’t keep mine, though I wish I did. It was a mess and beautiful all in one mishmashed ball. It was an unknown breed, not soft at all and white. I made a lumpy bumpy yarn on my new to me Reeves castle wheel. It felt like magic.
February 18, 2016
Obsession Thursday: Not cutting your fingers off
Some of you may remember when I was reckless enough to use a rotary cutter on a little cutting mat…on my lap. And how surprised we all weren’t that it had resulted in me cutting the corner off my left pointer finger. The carnage that followed I will not recount here. It was gruesome and excrutiatingly painful, believe me.
The TrueCut My Comfort Cutter (what a mouthful!) rotary cutter
Despite the fact that it was 100% my own fault, I still have avoided quilting again until lately. However, because my Carpal Tunnel is so bad in my right hand that I can’t do much of anything, I’ve picked quilting back up as a hobby I can do for short periods.
I saw something for sale recently that made my eyes bug out and I actually said out loud, to the empty room, “why didn’t anyone else think of this?” when I saw it.
It was this: My Comfort Cutter, by TrueCut. The sharp angle of the blade against the handle (instead of them being in a straight line like most cutters) is supposed to be ergonomic.
But what got me super excited was this: it has a special guide on the cutter that sits along the special track on the accompanying ruler. See below.
It’s so smart, it’s dumb. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?
Any of you ever have your cutter wander away from the ruler? Like all the time? That’s me. Whether this is safer or not, it will make cutting more enjoyable, because I won’t have to work so hard to keep the cutter close to the ruler. It will just stay there.
Yes, it means buying a new ruler. Or three. (For now, i started with the 6 x 24“, which I didn’t have in my toolbox.) I think I can get buy with just one more, the 12″ square. And then POOF, I’m set up.
So far, 90% pros. What’s the con? The guard…using the black switch you see above the blade, you push in and up and the guard slides up into the cutter, exposing the blade. I find the mechanism much flimsier than I would like. It doesn’t give the brisk and secure-feeling click that I’m used to with my Fiskars cutter. So I’m just extra careful about handling it. I might even try to find a little tin box to keep it in, so it’s not loose in my toolbox. (Oh, and regarding the comment that complains that changing the blade is hard? It isn’t. Just undo the big black plastic screw, and push the thinner screw side against a table, which will loosen it and let you remove it and then the blade from the cutter. PLEASE be careful, of course.)
Editor’s note: the links in this post are affiliate links and support Knitty, should you choose to make a purchase. Thank you!
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