February 9, 2007

Miscellanous tips and info

Here's a neat tip for an invisible or provisional cast on. Obvious, if you really think about it, but I guess I never thought about it and wrestled with the crochet hook and the needle!

And here's an idea for a quicky cat bed!

Here's a gorgeous sweater...but I'm hoping the chest measurement is for just the front and not the whole "round the chest" measurement!

Hmmm, what a nice compilation of misc knitting information from Morehouse Farms.

Thanks for the suggestions on the shawl... Michelle, I think a reverse stockinette st border would then curl in on itself the "other way." Hmmm, I guess I either rip it all out and try different techniques, or just rip it out......

I finished a dish cloth last night...and then took a technique I saw on Knitty Gritty (and after reading through it at the link I did it wrong) of double knitting. Here's what I did. I CO and even number of sts, then put half of them on one needle and half on another. Taking a third needle I picked up one from each needle alternating to put all the sts back on the third needle. Then I knit the first st, slipped the second and continued like that across. Then turning I knitted the slipped sts and slipped the knitted sts of the row before. The pic above is what I've gotten done so far.

It definitely is double knitting, but as I only have an inch done, I can't see what the inside looks like. The outside looks like reverse stockinette st, but....who knows? Let you know when I separate them to cast off. I know that I'm knitting "inside out" and will turn in "outside in" when it's finished. Playing with yarn and sticks is so much fun!

February 6, 2007

Spinning.....

Thought I'd share a pic of my spinning wheel. I personalize lots of my tools and this one is no exception.

The topmost pic is the private side of the wheel, the side I see when I spin. The pink and purple side is what others see. All the sheepies running around in a blur!

Nothing to exciting since I posted last night. Visited the frog pond a couple times when I got overly excited while knitting my Thinking Woman's Shawl and watching Prison Break. Ended up with too many sts on the borders.... Slipped that marker too late or something. Anyway, got it all fixed while watching Heroes and am ready to knit again.

Plans today are to brush the dog some more. I missed areas on her haunches so she really looks patchworky. Need to work on my sock today to, so it doesn't start whining. And of course the everlasting housework.

Oh, and to answer Michelle's question from yesterday, dog and angora goat and the only two non-wool fibers I've spun. I have some silk, but really need to go to the local spinning store and have a lesson. I'm sure it's nothing difficult, but I've never seen it done so.....

February 5, 2007

Dogs & Shawls

I have been noticing my dog is really shedding alot of her undercoat-which coincidentally is the part of a dog's fur one can spin!! So I grabbed my carders today and used them as doggie brushes. (Yes, I was careful!) She loved it! This is her nasty coat when we started Here's the actual "brushing" On the carders A pile of dog fluff And the happier, lighter, cooler doggie is in the pic at the top of the post. I got a grocery bag full of fluff that I'll hold on to and card with something else--probably wool--and spin eventually.

So, I decided I'd CO the Thinking Woman's Shawl to take with me if I have jury duty tomorrow. The pattern is very easy to memorize and I have some pretty purple wools to use. Edited: Jury duty postponed till the 13th.

I'm so late with my post today because we decided once we got the grand daughter off to school, we'd run down and visit the Gem and Mineral Show in town. My daughter is a beader as well as a knitter and crocheter. She needed some "parts" and I thought I'd pick up some rings for stitch markers. Not gonna make any fancy dangly things. Have some of those. They are nice, but often just get in the way of the knitting! So, I'll stick to just the plain silver rings.