November 28, 2015

Still Life with Mitten


Here's a photo of my fourth mitten in progress.  (Below is a copper and sterling barrette I made for myself in a workshop.)  Three other mittens, in the same yarn and pattern, are in a project bag.  They need their tops Kitchenered for a seamless look.  The blue waste yarn is going to come out of the cuff, it was there so I could pick up stitches and make the cuff hem seamless.  These little tricks are what make handknits so satisfactory.

I read over the plan I made this summer and realized I should say something about progress.  I have the knitting machine and have done nothing with it.  The mitten above is made of the same yarn I mentioned in that post.  I took the sewing class and learned some, but not enough, which explains why I've signed up for another one.  I still need to get more structure and routine into my time spent on fibre arts, and more time spent making things for me, really.  I have not gotten into clamp resists or block printing.  I bought paint for block printing and a blank linoblock to carve, on the theory that I can use labour and save money that way.  I still think a custom-made block would be nice.  I got distracted by the thought of using mordants and chemical resists in dyeing.  Nothing has come of that beyond acquiring supplies.  I did spend time in thrift stores there for a spurt and I bought a small selection of interesting clothes that could be upcycled.  Nothing made its way into my wardrobe.  My locally-sourced Romney wool roving is at the spinning mill; this campaign on Go Fund Me has me worried about the mill's future.

November 07, 2015

Started Another Pair of Susie's Reading Mitts

I started knitting a mitten with Solitude Wool Coopworth sport yarn I bought at either the Fiber Farmers' Market or Shenadoah Valley Fiber Festival.  It is good to have something to work on while watching TV or meeting up with friends.

The pattern is Susie's Reading Mitts, adjusted for yarn gauge.  Love the lustrousness of the yarn.