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Missed a Week

by CZeitler

Sorry, I didn’t mean to miss a week. I cannot even think about what happened that I did not get around to posting last week. This has been a week of completion and experimentation. Starting with experimentation, one of my colleagues mentioned venison a couple of weeks ago, I think it was Halloween actually, and I decided that I wanted to experiment with some different meats. This is good for my diet since I am supposed to be eating relatively low carb and high protein. One of the products I ordered was a stew sampler pack. Last week I made antelope stew and right now on my stove is a bison stew. Since cabbage is supposed to be very good for digestion, and I’m half Hungarian, I added half a head of cabbage to each batch of stew. I just finished listening to “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and decided to add some vinegar to my stew as well as making sure that I have added enough salt to actually flavor my stew. I’m excited to see the end result. On to Crafting Content!

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I had been storing a guild loom for a couple of years, and yesterday I took it to a guild meeting so that someone else can store or use it for a while. This has freed up enough floor space for me to put up two of my flat topped bookcases so that I can put my swift on top and have it freely spin. This is going to make it much easier to turn hanks into center pull balls. This has also given me somewhere to put my craft sets for crafts that I either do not use much or intend to get to in the near future (leather painting and paper making specifically).

This past Thursday’s craft class went fairly well. I had several people learn how to English Paper Piece (everyone that came and was physically capable learned) but a couple of problems popped up. Since I have use it or lose it vacation time that I am working to finish I was not at the craft class last week. While I was gone a new person came and saw the pouch one of my patrons was working on and a colleague, innocently, gave the new patron a pouch so that they could work on it. So last week while I was trying to teach English Paper Piecing I had another patron wondering why I wasn’t taking time out to haul out the wool and teach them embroidery stitching. Fortunately I was able to get the patron to work on an English Paper Piecing Project and I sent them home with wool and a book on Embroidery Stitches. There was also enough of a problem with a child hanging around that my supervisor has decided that there will be a simple craft or Makerspace activity in the Children’s area while the adult crafting is just for Adults starting in December. Fortunately, I had several people completely finish their projects so I look forward to seeing what will become of them in the future, I hate to feel mean about this but I teach a craft in the Makerspace for the young children on Mondays, Teens on Tuesday, so Thursdays are for Adults, and sometimes like with these sharp hand sewing needles it is dangerous for the children to be underfoot. As it is I am frankly surprised that no one stabbed themselves, especially since I said that someone would.

For my personal crafting I forgot my thread and needles so I could not make any progress on my Nova Quilt EPP by Tula Pink EPP Project during the class nor when I brought it to my guild meeting yesterday. I’ll take that as a sign that I need to get my stuff organized better. I did finish the piece I had on my 32″ rigid heddle loom. I decided to use up the Cascade 220 yarn I had lying around from my experiments in knitting two sides at once to create a picture (cannot remember what that is called). I thought that it was super wash so I just threw it in the washer, the fringe felted a bit but most of it looks great. It is not as wide as I though it would be so it is now a shawl. I love the length and it is quite warm without being heavy at all.

I am working on pulling out my embroidery machine so that I can make up some Christmas Presents for the family. I hope to remember to take pictures of each piece as I finish them. I still haven’t finished my halloween quilt and I have to face the fact that my idea of making my Aunt a quilt isn’t going to happen in time for Christmas. I’m probably not going to get my sister’s done in time either but I do plan on working toward that over the holidays.

Until Next time I hope that you remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

*Update: This was supposed to be posted Sunday but I didn’t get a picture of the blanket in time, so instead I’m going to update this with new information and photos to post Tuesday.

So the shawl turned out very nice. I have also been working on a couple of my other projects. I managed to get another piece added to my English Paper Piecing Project. I find that if I have all of the supplies readily at hand it is much easier to work on the project.

Speaking of Sewing I have been trying to figure out embroidery on bags, it turns out that the bags I purchased are too small for me to hoop one side and push the rest of the second side out of the way. This means that I get to learn how to create embroidered patches. The instructions I found state that you use a satin stitched outline on wash away stabilizer, then cut out a piece of cloth to fit that outline (the outside of it so that the cloth gets caught by the outline, spray stabilize the fabric, satin stitch over that then complete the design. It turns out that the spray stabilizer is very important, and that it is pretty easy to take apart the throat plate of an embroidery machine to get the knotted thread cleaned up.

Though getting things cleaned up does involve sharp, tiny scissors and a lot of snipping., The spray stabilizer should be here on Saturday.

Finally I have been working some on my peg loom sock. I love the yarn and hope that this type of ‘sock knitting’ will help me to get these actually knit!

I think that this is enough for a cold, late fall day. Stay warm and remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Summer Crafting Coming to a Close

by CZeitler

It is hard to believe that the fall semester is starting up in a couple of weeks! At present it looks like I will be working at all three of my jobs starting at the end of this month. This is going to greatly decrease my financial stress, increase my workload, and decrease my crafting time. Since I love to work, this is a positive move overall. However I am planning on taking these next couple of weeks to organize some projects so that they are easy to pick up and put down. The first is my insane idea that I am going to sew myself a very simple pencil skirt. For my first try I have measured the fabric so that there is plenty to go around my waist and that the length is something I can live with. I have then folded over the top to create a channel for a drawstring. I pinned down the edge of the channel so that the raw edge is tucked under and I can try to stitch the folded edge down.

Ecru cotton fabric with a top hem pinned, iron on the upper left hand with foldable scissors on the upper right hand.

By pre-threading my needles and running the thread over beeswax, I am ready to start stitching when I have a couple of minutes. I can only take a couple of stitches at a time before my back starts killing me, so I have to find a way to work on that.

My melt and pour experiment did not work out how I wanted it to. Either I put too much glitter between the layers or there was too much wait time between pours.

soap loaf molds, a bottle of glitter, small chunks of blue soap as well as chunks of pale pink and purple layered soaps.

I have some goats milk melt and pour soap coming in the mail this week so soap will get a take 2 next weekend. Hopefully the next batch is better.

I have also managed to get Lady, my spinning wheel, cleaned up and ready to go. My Firefly electric wheel has been a lifesaver, however I am now able to get back to spinning some with Lady. I managed to finish spinning a small batt of Corriedale, and there was even enough for me to weave a sample on my Ashford Sample It Loom at 5 ends per inch.

Brown wool yarn warped and woven loosely on a rigid heddle loom.

The final project that I have made progress on is my second worsted weight sock. I am ready to turn the heel! These are going to work wonderfully with the new shoes I purchased, in the hopes that they will last more than six months. If they fit, I might just plan on using the yarn I purchased for my Sherlock afghan as socks instead.

Clear ball yarn holder with a ball of white yarn inside, sock cuff on addi flexiflip needles with one poking through the project.

With Lady ready to go, end plenty of fiber to spin, needles threaded and ready to be stitched, as well as socks ready to knit (we aren’t discussing the shawl I’m knitting, it’s a KAL so I am not going to get it done on time), my fall is looking to be full of fun, crafting, and work.

Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract.

Semester End & New Beginnings

by CZeitler

During COVID I have managed to learn new skills, watch quite a few webinars to learn new skills and information, as well as crafting for my own pleasure. I am knitting a worsted weight sock in a white superwash yarn that I plan on dyeing when I’m through knitting it, like a treat at the end. I’m also using some of my yarn samples to knit a hap-type shawl.

Through the events of COVID I am being given an unprecedented opportunity to learn, be encouraged to apply for a new job, as well as spending some time with my sibling when they visit to take me to my surgery. I have found some boxes of memories that we can go through together so that when I get a full-time job I do not have to worry about moving these memories to a new space, my sibling can take those that are important to them and I can keep those that are important to me. Those that are not important can move on through the world to bring joy to someone else.

I planted a victory garden with vegetables that I enjoy, it is a joy to see these little green things grow and meet each new day. Tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, butter lettuce, and more. It is certainly a joy to eat a salad made with lettuce leaves from my own garden. My pleasure in using the rain barrel I set out to water my garden is unprecedented. I love knowing that this water collected is being used on days that it is not raining.

These days are frustrating and confusing however looking at each day as an opportunity to advance more on projects, personal, crafting, professional, I am able to find a joy in everything. A friend of mine has reminded me that I enjoy Gaming, StarDew Valley has become a new hobby, and that I am as enamored with technology as ever.

I’m going to finish this post with a photo of the spinning I have been working on. My surgery to repair the ligament in my left wrist is scheduled for 2 weeks hence, I hope that I can maintain the freedom of movement I have recently discovered so that I can continue crafting.

Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Dyeing to be Crafting Again

by CZeitler

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Not even torn ligaments are going to keep me from my crafting.  To be honest, I’ve had fun exploring the different crafts that I can accomplish with just one hand.  Another fun discovery is that I can still dye up some tapestry wool I purchased from Purl Soho last year.  I had pre-mordanted the fiber using alum and let it thoroughly dry.  To reactive the mordant I wet the fiber, and added a touch of vinegar for good luck.  The fibers pictured above are dyed with some food coloring, 30 seconds in the microwave to set.  I’m planning on having some fun simmering fibers on the stove over the next week.  Hopefully I will have results to post next weekend.

I have also discovered that I can do some little bits of weaving on my Mirrix with just one hand, I’m using a paperclip as a shuttle since I want to use several small colors at a time.  I really would like to get a few tapestry bobbins, however they are about $20 for 3.  I’m still trying to keep within my budget, so it is going to depend on my next couple of pay periods.  (I had to buy a new pair of shoes, my last ones were good for about 9 months, so if I can get that out of these I will be pleased).

In my week, I have a lead on a potential full-time job relatively locally.  I hope to hear back from them this week for an interview.  Should this job pan out I will be able to make a big difference in a nearby community, live in Pennsylvania (be closer to my sibling), and purchase a house to set up just the way I want it to be.  I am very excited for this opportunity to make a fresh start and concentrate my attention on the intricacies of a single job rather than juggling three.

Have a great week and Live Life A Little More Abstract!

Taking Time During the Week

by CZeitler

So, this week has not been as bad as I had feared.  My doctor was relatively pleased with my progress, apparently I lost 8 lbs.  During the first of my two car appointments I managed to knit 8 rows on my poncho adding on one new color and coming close to adding on the second.  My day at work was relatively productive, and my evening at work was spent updating my book blog as well as discovering a book that I have meant to read for a while.  It is titled Crafting Calm: Projects and Practices for Creativity and Contemplation by Maggie Shannon.  I have not gotten terribly far in this book however it certainly does introduce a new way of thinking in regards to crafting.  Unfortunately since starting this post and actually posting this post I have not had much momentum in regards to actually reading this book.  It tends to be a bit on the preachy side, religious, meditation, mindfulness, etc.

Though I have not gotten much reading done, I did manage to accomplish a few of my more pressing tasks for the week.

  • I submitted a cover letter, resume, and references to a local job.
  • I obtained my transcripts so that I can send in applications for 4 civil service exams by next week.
  • I created a basic cover letter for another job, there are two things that I will be able to add to my resume by next week, I want them on this version before I send the application in
  • I chose to attempt to sell my two DODEC Wheels this upcoming weekend at EGLFC
  • I discovered that my supplies fee is due to my teacher for EGLFC
  • I plied a yarn that has been sitting for a while, since I plied from a center pull ball I also have an amazing example of Yarn Barf to show my students tonight
  • I cleaned and oiled my wheel.  I also got fed up with one of the arms of my WooleeWinder keeps hitting my mother of all and making a clunking noise no matter how much I tighten things down.  I sanded the edge of the clunking arm just enough that it can get past my mother of all without any noise.  I Hate being sensitive to noise.
  • I cleared out the back and passenger seats of my car
  • Now I’m at work, getting ready to teach a spinning class tonight

I have not made much progress on my knitted poncho since the garage, though I did find out that while I am on ball 13 I will need to attach ball 22 before beginning the decreases to end the first half of the poncho.  Since it is about 12 rows of knitting before I manage to add on another ball, we are talking about a lot of knitting left, just for the first half.  The second half of the poncho is a mirror of the first, this makes the entire project quite time consuming.  The next two projects are slippers, both in knitting and crochet, along with a mystery knit along being offered with my paradise fibers box in October.  I also need to cast on my mermaid knit along.

Next weekend I will be attending Eastern Great Lakes Fiber Conference (EGLFC), to take a lock preparation and spinning class with Kate Larson, I am very excited.   Check in will be after work on Friday (after I drive up there), then a light dinner and other events, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are class sessions and shopping opportunities.  Due to this event I am suspending all non-essential (and some essential, lol) purchases until after EGLFC.  There are a couple of local and semi-local vendors that will be selling and I hope to get a souvenir skein or two.  A colleague and fiber friend of mine is leaving one of the jobs that I work at (she is then starting at another of my jobs) so as a farewell from the first job our company is going together to purchase a gift card for an online yarn store I know she has been wanting yarn from.  There is also a conference on Grant Writing that I will be able to attend part of tomorrow morning, so this week is also busy.

For this week, I need to:

  • Keep my spending very low
  • Work on Civil Service Entrance Exams
  • Pack for my Weekend Trip
  • Empty as many bobbins as I can, without yarn barf
  • Return the pop bottles, put that money aside for the trip if possible
  • Plan on bringing poncho for mindless (if big) knitting to do
  • Decide if you are going to bring 3 large energy drinks, and 3 2-liters of Dew so that you can stay caffeinated and hydrated throughout the conference.
  • Seriously consider bringing some kind of low-carb, shelf stable, snacks for the trip
  • Check if the local casino is having a promotion that you can hit on your way back to town that Monday.

This looks like a busy week, however I believe it will be tons of fun.  Okay, time for me to get ready for my class.

Remember to Live Life a Little More Abstract!

Half-Pi Shawl

by CZeitler

IMG_2333So hot on the heels of my successful Pi Shawlette I have decided to use the general formula of the half-pi shawl as a basis for a design.  I began with a garter tab cast on, I also have 3 stitches on either end that are simply knit with patterning and increases between these knit sections.  After the garter tab was picked up I worked a double yarn over increase row.  I then had 17 stitches total, these were worked as a simple knit for three rows.  Another increase row was worked, then I began a Daisy Stitch section.  This was worked for 7 rows before my next increase row, again with double yarn overs.

This is where I began some slightly more intricate patterning, though the daisy stitch was interesting, and I worked the seed stitch for three rounds with a row of knit two together, yarn overs, following, then another three rounds of seed stitch, followed by knit two together, yarnovers, finally 2 more rows of seed stitch and another increase round with double yarn overs.

Right now I am on rows 31-60, there are 95 stitches available for patterning.  I believe that I will be working the Butterfly Stitch across this so as to create a wonderfully textured shawl.  Then an increase round, then I will have 191 stitches available for patterning, and I will be working 63 rows.  If I choose to add another section, I probably will so as to create a very large shawl, then I will have 383 stitches available for patterning over 127 rows.  By my calculations this should result in a shawl that is well over 60″.

Savvy Girls Podcast Review

by CZeitler

*WARNING, this is a No Fiber Content Post, if you want Fiber Content, sorry.  I’ll try to post Fiber Content Later this Week or Next Week*

Okay, to start with I will state that I do not agree with most Liberal Leaning statements.  There are some things politically that I despair about, and some that I am cheering.  What those are, is nobody’s business because I do not like to discuss politics and hate hearing about them.  Mom really liked politics, but listening to her complaining about them all the time just killed my interest.

That being said, I started listening to this podcast from the oldest podcast I could access up to the newest.  In the beginning the chatting about trips, and little informative bits about the gerbil, sparrow, and Savvy Girl Melanie’s Mom were interesting.  Then there were bits about the wedding, Melanie’s sister knitted her own canopy for her Jewish Wedding, I was fascinated by that.  Then comes the political rantings, about how Trump stinks…blah, blah, blah.  She’s living most of the time in Canada when she isn’t traveling for her job.  I made it to Episode 172 and Tidbit 37, so 12 Tidbits and 18 Full episodes into the podcast.  Admittedly this takes me up tot February of 2017, so if you want to see if the political content dies down in more recent podcasts go for it.  As for me, I can actually listen to podcasts about people, knitting, and crochet, spinning, weaving, attending conferences, etc.  Not about travel troubles, political nonsense, birds, gerbils, etc.

If you like random information, travel, liberal politics, and general chatter podcasts then this is the podcast for you.  If you want to hear about knitting, have a more conservative bent (or just hate politics) and don’t want to hear about the Sparrow then you might want to try another podcast.

If someone chooses to bring this post to the attention of the creators of the Savvy Girl’s podcast I am fine with that. I chose to not post a review because A. I don’t want to get roasted on their podcast & B. I know that there are plenty of people that find this podcast charming and I do not want to bring down the rating for reviewing this on iTunes.

Remember to Live Life A Little More Abstract.

Sock Obsession

by CZeitler

Okay, so I still have not knit any socks, however I have started crocheting another 2 pairs.  I use the term pair loosely, the top sock is certainly going to wind up as a pair.  I love how it is turning out and I have plenty of yarn for the second sock.  The pattern is from the Interweave Crochet Issue Winter 2011 on page 56.  The top sock is out of a fingering weight yarn using a size E crochet hook following the pattern almost exactly.  I added a few decreases where the sock hits my ankle to avoid the pouch of fabric the other sock is showing.  The bottom sock, which will not have a matching mate but I believe will wind up having a crazy mate out of a different yarn altogether, is made using the same hook as well as the same pattern.  The top sock has a looser fabric, I will probably try and play with that if I have any yarn left after the pair is finished, but the bottom sock has a much tighter fabric.

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According to sock experts this means that the bottom sock will wear better and the top will wear out sooner.  I have to confess, if I can figure out a good pattern that will work with fingering weight yarn, yet be fun to crochet, I don’t think I will ever bother learning to knit socks.  Only time will tell however.  There is a new form of knitting needles called Addi FlexiFlips and they might be what I need to help socks become easy enough for me to consider knitting, but at over $20 a set I almost think I would have to be in love with sock knitting before I invest.  Fortunately I might be able to visit a yarn store and take these for a test knit sometime and see if it is worth the investment.  Until then, I’m going to keep crocheting socks!

Happy Crafting!

Sheepspot Podcast by Sasha Torres

by CZeitler

Sheepspot by Sasha Torres is a great podcast and an overall great spinning resource.  If you are looking for a podcast that will help you become a better spinner then this is the first one I would recommend.  She is very strict about sharing information and making it clear that each podcast is going to have a lesson to teach, but that there will be print resources available.  Even if you do not listen to the podcasts, subscribe to her newsletter.  You will certainly get more out of it if you do both, but even with just her newsletter you will gain access to all of the great resources she publishes.  At a wild guess I would say that Sasha is a librarian or otherwise involved in higher education, she gives detailed resource information for all of her podcasts and makes sure that the information is concise, clear, and readily available.  As of the writing of this review she is just working on six ways to get out of a spinning rut, her online course.  It does run a bit expensive, but I imagine it will be handy.  Since I have not taken it, nor will I have the means to do so in the immediate future, I cannot say it will be worth it or not.

Check out this great podcast/resource.  It is well worth the time.

Happy Listening.

Beekeeper’s Quilt

by CZeitler

I am working on the Beekeeper’s Quilt, the pattern is by Tiny Owl Knits and can be found on Ravelry.  Each little Hexipuff is knit as an individual project, stuffed, and put in a basket until you have a sufficient amount to piece together for a completed quilt.  I can knit about one hexipuff a day, due to time constraints and my very slow knitting.  It will take about 580 Hexipuffs to make a quilt 5.5 Feet X 6 Feet.  Since I like my quilts to be able to actually cover me this is the size I am aiming for.  A 3 foot by 4 foot quilt would be 384 hexipuffs but I would consider that a very small quilt.

If I were able to knit a hexie every single day it would take me about 2 years to create the hexie’s and probably another year to piece it together.  This would certainly qualify as a big project.  Well, I cannot make a three year project easy on myself now can I?  No!  I decided that I was going to create two different hexipuff quilts.  One will be made up of hexie’s that I knit from my own handspun yarn.

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The second quilt that I plan on working on will consist of scraps of yarn, usually some fancy yarns that I will not purchase an entire skein of.  For example JimmyBeansWool.com allows 20 yard samples of some of their yarns to be purchased.  While I find myself reluctant to purchase a skein of Madeline Tosh (MadTosh) yarn for $25-$35 a skein, I can justify spending about $1.25 for enough yarn to create a hexipuff and a half.  It really is still quite expensive, but it allows me to fool myself into thinking that I am being thrifty.  I have also discovered that the MadTosh yarn is really exquisite to work with and creates a very pretty, silky puff.  If I were really into clothing knitting I would certainly consider some of this.  The yarn to the left is a thin sock yarn, that I might need to use a smaller needle if I want to knit the rest of my sample skein into hexie’s, and the right is the MadTosh yarn in Swimming Pool colorway.

 

I really enjoy knitting up these tiny hexies on my size 8 Dpns out of wood.  I love how the needles work with the yarn, and I really enjoy working with my handspun so I get an idea of what works and what does not with my yarn.

Happy Crafting!