Casting on, starting with the ribbed edge:
Thu 15 Dec 11
Mordant – BFL
Mordanting a pound of BFL with alum and cream of tartar in preparation for dying:
Sun 11 Dec 11
Drawing – preperatory sketch for canvas or print
Observations – sometimes things done very quickly from memory have as much dynamism and power as live drawing from the model…
About half a BFL lamb – picked, carded, and ready to spin
This will be used for the dying experiments:
Completed – Mittens for R
Handspun and handknit mittens for R by request:
Observations: Highly simplified pattern stands out better. Also, keeping the side stripe solid also looked better. I liked the double rolled cuff, and was surprised to see how easy it was.
Catching Up – Mittens that were not photographed before they were given away
Handspun and handknit for C:
Observations: my handspun is so fuzzy that pattern definition is lost, and making two patterns, one on each “face” of the mitten, was rather a waste of time. They are cozy-soft, though, and I love the base design. See Anna Zilboorg, Magnificent Mittens. In this case, the mischief was started when a certain knitting laurel loaned me the book. I promptly tucked hers away “someplace safe” and bought my own copy in which to make notes. I did eventually figure out where the “someplace safe” was 🙂
Catching up – Alligator in progress
This little bit of silliness is an alligator in progress (Morehouse Designs, available for download on the web). Not for the first time, this bit of silliness is All Jennifer’s Fault 🙂
First try at color – Food Coloring on BFL
Observations: got a reasonably dark purple, and now I can say I’ve tried food coloring, but I will be graduating to real dyes next, so I can get reproducible and predictable results. Enamel pots and other tools arrived today. Just remains to spin up the rest of the BFL.
Spinning – Luster Longwool merino cross
Observations: the crossbreed means the staple length is a little longer than usual merino, but retains the lovely qualities. Easier to spin, and actually spun up extremely fine – as close to lace weight as I have ever achieved.