Is there yarn in Alaska?

Yes there is!  I "liked" Cascade Yarns on Facebook, and their feed often features pictures of yarn stores all over the country.  Kind of wool porn, showing racks and shelves loaded with skeins of all colors, not that I drool when I see them.  One of the yarn stores caught my eye because it was in Juneau - heavens to Murgatroyd, I'm going to be in Juneau!  And a few days later it was a yarn store in Ketchikan - I'll be there too!  It looks like they may be within walking distance of the cruise ship docks - we'll see whether I have time after whale watching and lumberjack shows.  I have kind of made a point of buying yarn when I go to new places - when my job sent me to Canada and Germany I found yarn stores and bought yarn, and I would have in Birmingham, England if the only local store hadn't closed.

No new projects to show you - working my way through what's already started.  It has been too busy of a week.  Part of our "wellness" program at work is a competition using step counters, and often I have to go out for a walk or to the gym to get 5000 steps.  Sometimes on weekends if I do too much yarnwork, I don't even make 2000.  But this week I was making well over 5000 before I even left work, then walking around the CSA farm, or grocery shopping, or walking back and forth at Yarnworks, so I think I upped my average.  This week's farm haul - 3 heads of lettuce (butter lettuce!), 1 pound of salad mix, 1 bunch of kale (the non-curly kind that refuses to get wet), 1/2 pound of spinach, and 2 quarts of strawberries.  I spent at least an hour washing all of the greens tonight - my salad spinner was a great investment.  Tomorrow I'll buy more berries to freeze and check on my wild raspberries - I think they're just about ready to pick.  I noticed tons of wild lamb's quarters (an edible weed) at the farm, but I already have more green stuff than I know what to do with, so I'll leave them for now.

Time to put up my feet and pick up my yarn.

Tidied up

New stuff!  I wove in ends on 4 projects so far today.  I finished the "Dragon Slayer" hood, but I need to find a way for it to lay flat.  Stockinette likes to roll up, and the garter stitch edges are not enough to prevent that.  It's acrylic, so blocking won't work, but maybe a steam iron and a pile of damp towels, enough to warm it without melting it.  Hmmm.  Will see what the internet says.

Some projects have been done for a while, just waiting for that last bit of attention.

Little girl's felted purse with beads

Big girl's felted purse

Dragon Slayer hood and scarf

Baby blanket

Car and truck hat

Twin Leaf fingerless mitts

Slouchy hat whose name I have forgotten.

As I was weaving in the last tail on the fingerless mitts I noticed that one seemed to be larger than the other.  Doggone it if I hadn't started with more rows of ribbing on one than on the other.  How did that happen?  I also had the Modern Millie hat, but couldn't get a good picture of it.  It seems a little large - either the owner will have to have a big head, or wear it slouchy.  I did not bother with a gauge swatch, and I should have.  I need some kind of head for modeling hats - either force my daughter into fashion slavery or go buy something, but I don't want one of those faceless (or even faced) mannequin heads.  I want something different, like a bust of Einstein (but with not too much unruly hair to wear a hat).  My son suggested an Orc's head from Lord of the Rings, which I like, but I'm not sure that's the look I want to convey to customers for the auction.  Might be distracting.

I think, after going through 46 pages of options on Ravelry, that I have a sweater pattern for my cotton summer sweater.  And compared to what I usually make, it's very simple, but I think it will work.  It comes from the Red Heart UK website originally, where I would never have thought to look.  Just a touch of lace pattern on the front, a V-neck to work with the collared polo shirts I usually wear.  Time to go mark up the pattern for the size I need and start winding my yarn into balls.  I think I'll take this on the trip to Alaska.  I should have lots of time.

I signed up for another Craftsy class on sale.  This one is for how to get better at Fair Isle, or multicolor stranded knitting.  I learned on my own, and could use some help to get better.  I'll pass what I learn on to you.  For example, they show you how to avoid or fix the tangles from two balls of yarn wrapping around each other as you knit with both colors. Yes!  I have some mittens and hats planned, so this will be worth $19.99.

Time to go enjoy my long weekend and finish an alligator.

Food and yarn

Two of my most necessary things.  I have not had as much yarn in my hands as I would have liked in the past week, and due to the braces I have had to eat a little differently than usual, but I won't starve.  I was nearly in yarn withdrawal, though.  Too much going on this week!

My CSA farm started yesterday with the first pickup!  For an individual share I got 2 heads of lettuce and a pound of salad mix (half a pound was plenty), a head of bok choi, and then picked a pint of snap peas, a half pint of strawberries (about 6 berries, as most were huge and weirdly shaped), and bunches of herbs.  And a four-leaf clover.  I managed to lose my farm ID badge before I was done picking.  Tonight I washed and dried all of the lettuce (2 gallon bags, not counting what was eaten yesterday), made roasted potatoes with sage and garlic, and a big stir-fry with the bok choi.  I'm still not sure what to do with the peas (not really a pea fan), but I might cook them until still crisp and make some kind of dipping sauce with peanut butter or tahini.  Or I might forget about them until they rot in the fridge.  Ideas?

At the Trenton Farmer's Market on Spruce Street, Pineland Farms has a location at one of the corners in the center of the market, and they have a CSA.  They had wonderful strawberries last week!  Here's the information:
Pineland Farms, 209 Union Road, Hammonton, NJ 08037,                                                                                                                                        (609) 392-1550  or (609)412-5191
The  pick-up days choices are Sun. 12-2 or Wed., Th., Fri. 10 - 5:30.   Prices are: Family =$650.     Individual =$375.  Thank you Jean, for providing this info!
They have a Facebook page for general information, and you can pick up an application at the farmer's market.  CSA, or community supported agriculture, is a great way for the farmer to make an income that she can be sure of, while you get tons of very fresh food.  

At Yarnworks this week, we had some finished projects!  Two lovely hats - you go, ladies!

Next I want to see some finished socks!

I just checked my neighborhood for my foraged items - the vacant lot is going to be overloaded with wild raspberries in about a week, and the lamb's quarters is just starting to grow.  Like I need more veggies.  But looking forward to the raspberries, and many hours of picking their seeds out of my braces.

Now with actual comments

I think I fixed the setting so you don't have to jump through hoops to leave a comment!  So leave me a comment so we can see if it works!

Still working on pigs.  I weighed the knitted "skin" of a pig yesterday, 2 grams.  I have 27 grams of yarn left, and 11 pigs already made from that skein, so I can get 24 pigs from a $7.99 skein of yarn for my friend to sell at her farm.  I'll donate them to her (or perhaps trade for lamb and pork) and she can set her own price, because I have no idea what a 1-1/2" knitted pig goes for when your child is begging for it.

Working on a "dragon tamer" hat from the Lion Brand website - I think it's even cuter because of the little model wearing it.  It's mostly stockinette, so good for when I want to pay attention to what's on the TV, but a little boring.  I found a pattern for a quick scarf in super bulky yarn, but I think instead of buying super bulky yarn I'll just hold some strands of Wool-Ease Thick and Quick together and use the largest needles I can find from the Yarnworks bag.  But I'm going to make myself finish something first.  I started another alligator and rooted around for yarn, finding plenty of wool I had forgotten about.  I have the "new cow" problem - when you're breeding cattle, the bull gets bored of the same old cow, but bring him a new one and he's ready to go again.  That's how I am with patterns, but no genitalia are involved.

You can help

Yarnworkers, we know about doing things for charity.  Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the "Yarn Harlot", has an excellent blog post about a charity for which she rides her bike 600 kilometers through Canada to raise money.  Check it out and give, if you have the urge.  http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2015/05/again/

Where to find patterns

So after you have made hats or mittens at Yarnworks and you want to move on, what now?  We have a book of random patterns that I and others have made in our supplies box, but how do you find exactly what you want to do?  To the internet or the library!  The reference section of the Ewing library has lots of knitting and crocheting pattern books - look for the "crafts" section.  If you photocopy a pattern out of one of these books, make sure you make an extra copy or scan it and save it as a pdf so that you can recover when the cat pukes on it or you leave it on a bus.

Online you'll find that pretty much every yarn company has a website with free patterns - think Lion Brand or Red Heart - if you see the yarn at Joann or Michael's, they will usually have a site.  I like Lion Brand for their large number of patterns and the easy ability to sort them by yarn type or level of experience. Look down along the left side of the web page for the "Patterns" link.

Ravelry is another of my favorite sites.  You have to register to use it (likewise many of the other sites), but I haven't seen any e-mail or spam from them.  When you log on, look at the top of the page and click on the "patterns" tab.  The best way to narrow down what you can make is to use the "pattern browser and advanced search" link just a little down the page.  Say you have 300 yards of fingering weight yarn and you want a child's hat pattern.  You can use that link to find exactly that, and every pattern that fits your criteria will show up.  Then what?  If you have selected only free patterns, you can download and print them out.  The ones that have a "Free Ravelry Download" link are going to give you a neatly printable pdf file, while some links lead you to another website where printing might be a little messier.  Most non-free patterns range from $1 - $6 and are easy to get with a Paypal account or other methods.  What if you're not ready to choose a pattern?  In the upper right you can click on "Add to Favorites" and it will store it for you.  You can find it under the "my notebook" tab when you are ready.

What if you find a pattern but you don't have or want to use the kind of yarn they recommend?  You need to find an equivalent yarn.  Maybe the pattern was made with Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage.  What the heck is that?  Use Google to look up that yarn, and then look for two things: the weight (bulky, worsted, DK or sport, fingering or sock, laceweight, etc) and the yardage per skein.  Say your pattern needed 3 skeins of Tosh Vintage.  When you look it up you find that it says it has 200 yards per skein, so you know that you need 600 yards of something.  When you look for the weight, you might have to look hard to find it, but it turns out to be worsted weight.  Here is one example of what the weights mean.  By looking this up you find that it's a #4 yarn.  Now when you look for a substitute, you know what you need.  If you wanted to substitute Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn, you can look it up and find that the solid colors have 170 yards per skein of the worsted weight, so doing the math you need 4 skeins to have enough.  Make sure you get 4 of the same dye lot.

You can always just put your desired pattern wishes into Google, but what you get back will be more random and less likely to have been tested for correct directions, and I think most of us know the frustration of a bad pattern.  Go forth and seek patterns!

Finishing and farming

The cat blanket, she is finished.  With a little trepidation, I just put it in the wash to soften it up and make sure its recipient will not see it fall apart when they have to wash it.  I expect it to come out fine, but there may be some loose ends to trim if they work loose.  On to the next project!

Selena is not impressed.

Yesterday at Yarnworks we were talking about CSA - community supported agriculture, in which you buy a share of a farm's output for the season.  The shares come in different sizes, usually family or single.  Either way it's often an overwhelming amount of produce, so even though it seems like an expensive outlay up front, you usually get weekly produce from May till November.  If you like fresh, local produce, this is a good way to get it.  I spent $440 for my single share in Honeybrook Organic Farm in Pennington, but I know from previous years that the variety and abundance is worth it over a 20 week season (more or less).  Of course, if the year is dry or rainy and things don't grow well, well, it's the risk of farming.  But I have always gotten more than I can eat, and sometimes have to give some away.  I end up getting things I would never get at a grocery store or farmer's market, and I don't even like vegetables, but knowing how much I paid for it and how much I hate to waste money or food, it forces me to eat what's good for me and try new things.  You can also buy a share and split the cost and the food with someone else.  Just a note, though, much of the food is filthy with good fertile soil, so everything needs washing.

Here is a link to local CSA farms.  The websites usually have a calendar showing what they grow and when it is usually available.  If you want a share you might have to hurry, as some places are selling out.

Cats cats cats

I just this morning finished the last nose on the last cat square for this blanket.  I don't like the way the eyes add dense, less flexible spots to the square, but maybe it's because I made it from Vanna's Choice acrylic and not washable wool like the original.  I wanted the recipient to be able to toss it in the washer and dryer (which you totally can with Cascade 220 Superwash), but also I already had a lot of acrylic and didn't have to buy anything but the gray and some white.  No sense making something for a fundraiser if it's not likely to get bids that cover the cost of the materials.  I know, I'm not the one getting the money, but I still like to feel that the item is valued at least as much as it cost to make.  No, we're going to leave time and effort out of that equation or nobody would ever give or sell handknits.

I laid the squares out for positioning, then took pictures to guide me as I slip-stitch them together.  Then I had to gather them up and stash them before the real cats shed all over them.  Although I'm sure they already have a healthy dose of cat hair just from being on the bed….

I also don't like the eyes I made as much as the ones in the original, but she used buttons, which could be a choking hazard (and speaking as a former long hair wearer, buttons are treacherous hair traps) so mine are crocheted circles.

At any rate, once I put these together and crochet a border, it's done and I can move on to smaller projects.  I projected this as my output for the Warm and Fuzzy Fundraiser 2015:

• 10 hats for adults and kids.  I was told "normal" hats are more popular than the kind I find interesting, so normal hats it is.  Two so far, one waiting with yarn and pattern bagged up.
• 3 pair of adult mittens/gloves/fingerless mitts (one down, skein of alpaca on deck for another)
• 3-5 pair of kids' mittens
• 4 - 6 scarves.  One done.
• 2 pair of socks.  Yarn bought, bagged up with patterns.
• 8 toys.  One alligator knitted, still to be sewn together.  Other patterns identified.
• 2 - 3 bags.  Two done, waiting for me to felt them.  Will probably crochet a basket from some Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn I got for free - that stuff makes for sturdy construction.
• 1 raffle item - the blue beaded shawl?  A kid's project like last year's farmyard?
• 2 blankets - this cat blanket and the white crocheted baby blanket - done.
• anything else I find interesting on Knitty.com or Ravelry

In between I'll make pigs and other farm animals for my friend's farm store, and I just ordered 11 skeins of Cascade Ultra Pima fingering yarn for a summer sweater for me.  This is the softest, most wonderful cotton yarn I have ever used, but I might not have this sweater on my back until 2016.  I'm thinking this pattern, but I'm still looking.

I'm getting braces on my teeth on Tuesday, to correct the shifting that has happened in the 40-some years since the first set.  I plan to live with these teeth another couple of decades, so they can't keep going the way they are or my mouth will look like a hedge maze.  But I know I'm going to be in too much pain to chew for a while, so I'm planning a soft food menu for next week. Gluten-free, sugar-free, and texture-free.  Mmmm.  Mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, small pasta slightly overcooked, scrambled eggs, applesauce, yogurt, homemade rice mac and cheese, lentil soup.  My tastebuds won't suffer while my jaws do.

The wild raspberries in the vacant lot have flower buds, so we're on track for berries in a few weeks.  Last year I picked at least 2 pounds over the few weeks of the season - small and seedy, but very flavorful.  I froze them on cookie sheets before packing them in boxes for the freezer, and they kept very well.  I would still have some if I hadn't dropped a whole tray of frozen berries, grrrr.  The organic farm CSA I signed up for will start soon, and hopefully I can chew what they offer.

Yarnworks this afternoon, then the next one is May 20th at 7 pm.

If you need your yarn fix early

If you can't wait for the next Yarnworks, check out the Mercer County Library calendar for events at the Lawrence branch.  They appear to have separate groups for knitting and crocheting, but it's for people who already know the basics.  Next session for knitters is May 6th at 7 pm, and the crochet corner is May 7th at 3 pm.  If you know of other places to get your yarn fix, add it in the comments.

I have 7 pigs finished!  I have it down to half an hour each.

And for my fellow nerds, happy Star Wars day - May the 4th be with you!

A place for news

An alternative to the usual e-mails for the Ewing Library Yarnworks community, so I can post links and pictures and therefore refrain from annoying those who don't want the e-mail.  Good?  Send me suggestions for ways we can all get better with our yarn work.

My brags: this weekend I finally finished a pair of fingerless mittens and got around to blocking the blue beaded shawl I finished a while ago.  Here it is:

I wasn't sure how big it would turn out, and it took up a lot more floor space than I expected, so I didn't stretch it as hard as I could have, but it still looks like it does in the pattern.  The wool seems a little rougher after blocking than before, but maybe that's just my dry skin catching on it.  It's very lightweight, but should have some warmth to it.  And plenty of cat hair.

I stopped at Pins and Needles this week, and actually got some attention, being the only customer in the store.  When they asked what I was making, I said "pigs".  That stopped them in their tracks, but it's true - I'm making little pigs for my friend Ann to sell on her farm.  I got one skein each of Cascade 220 sport superwash in pink and black.  I'm curious to see how many pigs I can get from one $7.95 skein, and how long it takes.  They work up quickly, an hour or less each, but my wooden DPNs are too blunt and short, and my metal DPNs are too slippery and fall out of the stitches, so I need better needles to crank these out.  These are the first 5:

They still need embroidered eyes.  Here's the pattern.  Ann sells meat from pigs and lambs she raises, and eggs with all different colors, so I'll also make her some sheep and chickens, but I'm not finding patterns I like that are quick and don't involve sewing multiple pieces together.  I know there will probably have to be some of that, but not too much if I'm lucky.  Her farm is Stonybrook Meadows in Hopewell.  The goods are expensive, but very good quality and responsibly raised.

I finished watching a Craftsy class on repairing lace knitting mistakes.  I think I already had figured out some of it for myself, but I did learn some things about how to repair a mistake a few rows back without taking the whole thing apart, which I can pass on to anyone who needs it.

Now I'm slowly working my way through all the ends to be woven in on 20 squares for that cat blanket, then I have to make eyes, sew down tails, embroider noses and mouths, then finally attach the blocks together and add a border.  A lot more hours go into it than you would think, and I hope that reflects in the bids at the fundraiser.

Time for a new project!  An alligator, I think, to use up some leftover green wool and make another toy for the fundraiser.

A reminder, Yarnworks has reserved the library display cases for September.  What do you want to put in?