rhinebeck visited!

this year we *finally* made it to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool festival! we drove down friday and stayed the night in Kingston at the Marriot Courtyard. it was a short drive away from the fairgrounds and a nice hotel. we knew right away we were in the right place--everyone had a wheel or knitting basket in tow.
we got up early saturday morning and joined the very long line of cars waiting to get in. the weather was perfect and the foilage was breathtaking. we started at one end of the festival and gradually worked our way through the barns (along with a billion other people).
lots of dyed stuff, lots of fall colors, and lots of sock stuff. (have i mentioned i hate socks? not just knitting socks, but i hate wearing them. and i can't imagine knitting a sock for Hus's size 13 that shreds socks like mice on silk.) i was on the hunt for felting tools and books and kits and ideas. here's what followed me home:

alpaca gloves (which i realized once we were home that whoever made them just snipped the yarn tail short and didn't leave any to weave in! they are already unraveling and haven't even been worn!! so, i'll frog a couple of rows, bind off again and weave in a nice long tail. ho hum!)
a four needle holder needlefelting thing-a-ma-bob (for four times the needlefelting action!)
a felt flower making kit from Sharon Costello (i'm in the process of putting one together for frabjous and want to see how she did hers)

merino/tencel top from the Sheep Shed in NH--i always get some of this from them. the tencel doesn't take the dye, so it spins up with a muted effect and lots of shine. (see baby's hat below)

leather bag handles from Homespun Heirlooms (if you haven't noticed fancy handles on your felt bag are all the rage--so i picked up a pair of black leather braided ones)

Indigo Junction lapel flower pattern a $9 sewing (millinery) pattern that is NOT user friendly--not sure that this will ever get used. lovely flowers, ridculous amount of materials (very specific materials) that are hard to find or hard to buy small amounts of. oh well, i didn't have time for it anyway.

so that's my haul. not much, but i have enough fiber and yarn...i'm much more interested in what other people are making and new ideas, etc, etc.

here's how the littlest enjoyed the festival...either asleep on Hus or asleep in the sling on me: (handspun merino/tencel hat)

and the older came too with hopes of seeing buddy, Eli....her phrase of the day was: "haven't we been to this barn before?" oh, well...next year she can stay home with Opa.

isn't that sheep amazing? the costume is made of fleece and just unbelieveable!

overall--rhinebeck is awesome! next year we'll plan on being there both days--you really need two days to see it all. we stopped at 4ish and had barely seen everything once. we hadn't visited the sheep barns or watched the dog trials or done any kids workshops or anything other than visit vendor booths. whew!

knitting with videotape...

so, several people had questions about working with videotape:

is it strong? yes, very. if pulled hard very quickly the tape will snap and if pulled hard very slowly it will stretch a little, but once knitted the fabric is really strong and doesn't stretch.

will it bleed color when wet? no. i actually soaked a swatch in water overnight to see what would happen. it didn't change color or bleed at all. i *think* (although its just a guess) that the blackness is held onto the clear tape magnetically or something like that. i suppose it can vary for different brands--but this one wasn't affected by water.

is the blackness a mess to work with? rubbing off like carbon paper? no. the blackness doesn't rub off on your hands and only ever so slightly on your needles. (wooden or bamboo needles) after i had knit the entire bag i could see that the tips of my bamboo needles were tinted just the tiniest bit.

could you make a much larger bag--like a shopping bag? yes. i think the fabric would be strong enough to accommodate any size. if i were doing a much larger bag i would use a smaller needle to knit a tighter gauge.

what did you use for lining? i knew i wanted hot pink lining and found a silk shirt at the thrift store that was large enough to cut up and use for lining. any fabric should work, but keep in mind that it will show through the mesh a little so you might want to choose something that is pretty on both sides.

free pattern: REWIND

So, I posted earlier that my 6th Knitty submission was accepted....and it will be my 5th published pattern. So, if you're doing the math that means...drumroll please....one REJECTION!! You heard right, rejected by Knitty!

I can joke about it now, but it was really tragic at the time.

Ok, so just what was this poor little pattern that wasn't good enough for Amy dear....my totally-recycled-knit-from-video-tape-bag: Rewind.
Fun and funky, right? Ok, true it is non-traditional...but this is the mag that published a Womb pattern. Ok, so it could have been rejected because it doesn't sell yarn--but neither does a licorice thong! Oh well, since my latest submission was accepted I've forgiven Amy.

Here's the pattern....modeled by my lovely friend Sara:

rewind
by Stephanie Shiman
Mellow
Recently our VCR made its journey to the big entertainment center in the sky. Before it went, it chewed up and spit out many a video tape. When I looked at the ruined tapes, I realized as if for the first time that they were filled with yards and yards of shiny black ribbon—shiny black ribbon perfect for knitting.
The sheen is like black patent leather. The tape folds unevenly when knit, creating an interesting texture and causing the light to reflect in every direction. The end product is a feather-light mesh that is surprisingly strong.
This bag is quick and easy to knit and will be unlike any other in your closet. Pair it with some chunky shoes and go out to the movies!

Photo credit [Sara Coffey/Stephanie Shiman]

SIZE
10 wide X 5 inches deep X 8 inches tall

MATERIALS
[MC] TDK [magnetic tape; 270 yards per 120 minutes]
one video has enough tape for at least two bags


1 set(s) US #11/8mm double-point needles and
1 set(s) US #11/8mm straight needles
or
any length US #11/8mm circular needle
Note: while the color is waterproof, the tape can stain your wooden or bamboo needles

small Phillips screwdriver
yarn needle
sewing needle
black sewing thread
lining fabric

GAUGE
12 sts/11 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

Harvesting the tape: Rewind the tape (if using an uneaten tape), then using a Phillips head screwdriver with a small tip remove the 5 screws on the back of the tape. Take off the back of the clamshell and pop out the reel.Knit from the reel.

Creating the fabric: First knit the stitches and then tug on the knitted piece to open them up. This will stretch out the fabric and set it.

PATTERN
Body
Bag front:CO 36 stitches, work in garter stitch for 10 rows (5 ridges on the RS). Work increases as follows:
Row 1 and all odd numbered rows: Knit across.
Row 2 and all even numbered rows that are not increase rows: Purl.
Rows 4, 8, 12, 16, 20: PFB, purl to last stitch, PFB. (a KFB can be substituted for the PFB—these stitches will be part of the seam and not visible when the bag is finished)
Form side gussets and bottom:
Row 21: Cast off 8 stitches, knit to end.
Row 22: Cast off 8 stitches, purl to end.
Rows 23-31: Work stockinette stitch.
Row 32: Cast on 8 stitches, purl to end.
Row 33: Cast on 8 stitches, knit to end.

Note: The “Bag Back” is a mirror image of the “Bag Front”. “Bag Front” section is worked in reverse from row 20 backwards through row 1 decreasing instead of increasing. Work 10 rows of garter stitch, cast off 36 stitches.

Bag Back:
Row 34, 38, 42, 46, 50: P2tog, purl to last two stitches, P2tog. (a K2tog can be substituted for the P2tog—these stitches will be part of the seam and not visible when the bag is finished)
Row 35 and all odd numbered rows: Knit across.
Row 36 and all even numbered rows that are not increase rows: Purl.
Row 51: Begin garter stitch—work 10 rows (5 ridges on the RS).Cast off.
Straps (make two)
With two doublepoints or one circular needle CO 3 stitches. Work i-cord until piece measures 36 inches. Cast off.

Anchor one end of the i-cord and twist the other until there is enough twist for the strap to fold back on itself and twist together. Sew ends together with additional tape.

FINISHING Before assembling the bag, place it on top of the fabric lining and trace the outline.
Use yarn needle and tape, refer to schematics and sew gusset flaps to bag bottom matching A to A and B to B. Repeat for second side. Folding the side seams inward, sew sides together.

Refer to schematics for strap location. Poke ends of strap through the stitches and sew in place. Repeat for second strap.

Cut lining fabric and assemble the same way as the bag. With the raw edges and seams on the outside position the lining inside bag. Sew top edge of lining to top edge of bag, turning the edge of the lining under as you go. Secure lining to the bottom of the bag with a stitch on each corner.

Knitty submission accepted!

I realized a few weeks ago that I've had at least one Knitty pattern every year the last three years, but nothing so far this year. Seeing how this is the last issue of 2007 I had to whip up something fast. I had a scribble of an idea that seemed like the perfect thing. It turned out just lovely--one of those knits you can barely wait to get off the needles so you can start using it. So only one teeny, tiny hint: it has some of our new solid recycled silk yarns in the design.

new mindless project....

i always need a perfectly mindless project...just knitting--no counting or pattern. that way i can watch intense movies, knit at the doctor's office, knit through Adaylia's epic story of the dinosaur with the special wing that can fly, etc, etc, etc. this handspun is my new mindless project. i spun it earlier in the year from black-black-black merino top, recycled silk in several vivid (almost blinding!) colors, bright colored kid mohair locks, and a sprinkling of dyed nylon sparkle. i plied it with a strand of commercially spun cotton. (the cotton wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was here and what else was i going to use it for)...so, voila!

so yummy!

all dry and so lovely! here's how the batch from yesterday turned out:



This is Mikado dyed with Jacquard acid dyes of our own concoction. I dyed a few extra skeins for myself that are telling me they'd like to be a swing jacket for the littlest one.

what's cookin'?

Jules and i kept the dyepots steamin' yesterday. we worked on a custom dye order for a clothing company and finished up 50 pounds of a bulky boucle. here's our favorite batch:

the yarns are almost dry today and since the weather is supposed to be in the 80s i should be able to send them off tomorrow.