Sparkly Suzie

So I lied. I took more pictures of the improved "Suzie". (Well, hopefully it is improved.) The sun came out and I had to hurry and take the opportunity. They still don't show what human eyes can see. Now I understand how difficult it is to photograph these holographic fiber. Click to enlarge the pictures for better sparkles.


You know, I have another 1/2 oz bag of Angelina fiber. ;-) More bobbins. I need more bobbins!

Sore arms.

I woke up with very sore arms. Why? Yesterday I spent all evening carding up this pile of fiber.

I was given some holographic tencil with amazing sparkles. I couldn't decide what to do with it because it wasn't in the form of fine fiber. I thought maybe I could add strands of it while knitting a scarf for my niece to add pizzazz. But I soon found out that it was a pain to do, and I didn't like how it looked. Then I thought about "Suzie". Why not try carding it into the wool fiber? I don't really know how tencil will behave with wool fiber when being spun. But heck, I'll find out soon.

So I got out the hand cards and "Suzie" and practiced carding, at the same time experimenting when and how to add the tencil to best blend it together. I was just going to try with a small batch of it. But I couldn't stop. Didn't I say that I love carding? So I made rolag after rolag until it was all done. I got a little impatient at some point and started charging the cards with more fiber. More fiber means more force needed to pull the fiber through. That's how I ended up with sore arms. Can this count as exercising? :-)

I think that I will have to spin this worsted to prevent the tencil from separating and sticking out of the yarn. I hope to have enough to make a hat. More bobbins! I need more bobbins! I thought I had enough with 4. But I can see that there will never be enough bobbins!

Here's another pic that shows more of the tencil. Enlarge the pics to see the sparkles better. I will take a better picture once the spinning is done. Hopefully with outdoor light to show the amazing sparkles.

And here's a pic of my Lendrum. Just for Dave D. :-) More bobbins! I need more bobbins! And Ted made me aware that I don't have the "Very Fast Flyer"!!! :-(

I dyed!

Dyeing, that's another thing that I didn't see myself doing until, oh, maybe when we move to a larger place. But I thought it would be good to learn the process, to get some hands-on experience, to gain understanding of another aspect of the fiber art. So when I saw that John was teaching a class, I signed up.

The method that John taught is super easy and quick to do. It is less precise but it produces the kind of result that I am looking for. I am quite surprised and very happy. I won't go into the instructions since John is still teaching these classes. I don't want to be the one to put up his class details on the internet. That wouldn't be nice to him. But I am sure that some of you will know exactly the process once you see the photos.

This is Sandy. One of the partners of "the place". I don't want to come right out and tell you where it is because I am still weary of certain someone that might nab the info and use it for whatever.

Here's the sample that John created to show the process to the class. I am sure that some of you can figure out what that process is. I love it.

My partner in crime. Sorry, I didn't try to remember names. *blush*

John and Jill standing next to each other, and a very nice lady. Again, sorry, I didn't try to remember names.

Class in action.

Testing the PH level in the water.

This nice lady took a spinning class right after the dye class. I think she was hooked. :-)

This is my creation. About 3 oz. of superwash merino. It's nice, but not the colors that I wanted. I wanted the dominant color to be dark burgundy, with a little bit of orange yellow and navy blue mixed in. Darker colors. But, I decided to share my dye pan with another, and this is the result we agreed on. I might tweak it a little more later or I might spin it and ply the singles with something different.

The dye also sets really fast with superwash fiber. John warned me about this. I cut down the amount of the fiber I wanted to dye from 6 oz to 3 oz so there's less for the dye to work through. But then I agreed to share my pan and more fiber was added, making it difficut to get an even result. But I think I like the look.

I like dyeing un-spun fiber. I can have variety of ways to change the look of the final product.

Ummm... I think I am going to be dyeing more soon. LOL

More nature in the city.

Marianne and Kerry both wanted to know what kind of tree this is. Took a while to find it on Google. It is called Floss Silk Tree (Chorisia speciosa). The reason why it's called floss silk is that the fruits contain fluffy fiber. According to Wayne's Word (scroll down to Fibers From Seeds and Seed Pods) this fiber is difficult to spin and mainly used as waterproof filler for mattresses, softballs, life preservers, etc.

As you can see, the trunks and limbs of the trees are filled with thorns. They do not say "hug me". But there is a thornless relative, Chorisia speciosa "Majestic Beauty", that's suppose to flower as much.

The parrots that come to feed on the fruits are Yellow-Chevroned Parakeets.

Here are some more hummingbird pics:



The brown pods in the picture are old fruits. They don't show the white cottony fluff. I will have to remember to take photos of the new fruits and the parakeets in winter.

Here's a surprise. Well, at least a surprise to me. This common household plant bloomed! I've never seen this happened before.

Cables & Birds

I had a tough time trying take a decent picture of the sample I knitted with "mahogany". This is the best that I can do. I think it looks OK. The fabric is a little stiff. Oh well. It's only a swatch. I'll use larger needles when I am ready to knit something with it.

The neighborhood is filled with these trees. They are in bloom now.

Hummingbirds love them! You can hear the cute chirping all day. They chase each other around. I am not sure if it is to claim the tree or just being playful. Soon these trees will be filled with fruits, and the parrots will be here. They love breaking them open and eat what's inside.

Look!

What a mess! Wouldn't you agree?

But not from last week's accident! hehehe Did I have you going there? This is from earlier attempt. I don't know why I kept it on my desk. But it came in handy for a little fun. :-) Now it's time to leave them outside for the birds.

This is what I got from that spindleful of singles...

Spindle spun singles. Navajo plied on the wheel. I'd say a heavy fingering weight. The brown also looks better than the 2-ply. It has a little extra shine to it too. Interesting. I am going to knit a swatch with cable pattern to see how it does.

I decided to take Jane's advice and just push whatever I could back up the shaft of the spindle and continued spinning. (Thank you all for the pointers. They will be needed in the future!) After I was done, I carefully made a Andean bracelet, then I plied it on the wheel. I didn't have to sacrifce anything. Yay! However, my Navajo plying skill leaves much to be desired. I have to find someone to demonstrate it for me in person.

I have to start spinning thicker to see what that's like.

In trouble?

What you see here is the result of an accident. I was spinning away with the rest of the mahogany fiber. I was very eager to have it done so I could try my hands at Navajo plying. Did I lose concentration? Too rushed? I dropped the spindle. The singles popped off the spindle a third of the way. Yuck! I can't slide it back up. I can't continue to spin with it. I guess I'll have to take it off and ply with what I have. Will I have a tangled mess? Ugh!

Note to self: must get "yarn stopper". I have to get a bag of rubber bands.

Have your forgotten?

No, I haven't forgotten the book meme. I usually avoid memes. (Don't believe me? Check the whole blog! hehe) This one I am inclined to do. Maybe because it would involve one of my favorite topics, Buddhist Teachings. Like I stated in a previous post, I read mostly Buddhist materials. So, some of you might not find this interesting. Oh yeah, thanks Ken and Knit Picking for tagging! :-P

1. One book that changed your life: I have to give two answers. There was a little Chinese book on the introduction of the philosophies of "Mind Only" Buddhist tradition. The teaching broke down human experiences layer by layer. It is my nature to get to the bottom of things so it suited me really well. I started to look deeper within myself and was able to find sustainable peace for quite some time. Unfortunately I didn't keep up the practice. But I gained a clearer picture of what it meant to practice "the ending of suffering & stress." This also started me searching for a temple that focus on mediation.

Then a few years ago I went to a local Thai Forest Tradition Temple to be a monk for seven days (I got picture to prove it), I took along "The First Discourse of the Buddha" by Ven. Rewata Dhamma. He gave a clear teaching of the Four Noble Truths and the steps of Buddhist meditation practice. With the book and the opportunity to practice sincerely, I was able to say that I finally understood the path. I left the temple with a clear direction. I also realized that I "knew" very little. Meaning that I lacked direct experiences. I could not claim that I "knew" without "seeing". I was humbled. Practice is the path. And I am walking surely on the path again.

2. One book that you've read more than once: "Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera - A Spiritual Biography" by Acariya Maha Boowa. Ven. Mun did not write a biography himself. Using stories told my his students, Ven. Maha Boowa was able to put together his life story. It gives a good picture of the practice of a forest monk. It contains some stories that usually do not get passed beyond the monks' circle, which makes it a very interesting read. But the important part is how it shows Ven. Mun as a fine example for Buddhist practictioners. He's the founder of the Thai Forest Tradition after all.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Oh, I dunno. Something like "How to Build a Boat"? I would prabably spend more time meditating. Hmmm... Maybe something like "How to Build a Hut"? I will want a hut to meditate in. :-)

4. One book that made you laugh: Well... considering the kind of books that I've been reading in recent years, I can't think of any. LOL (<--- does that count?) But, I did get a book called "Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life's Difficulties" by Ajahn Brahm. I haven't read it. But I have listened to Ajahn Brahm's audio talks. Ajahn Brahm is a British monk in Australia. He is very clear and super funny. I imagine that the book would be very funny and inspirational too. Just look at the book title!

5. One book that made you cry: This is a tough one. Nothing recent. Maybe "The Heritage of Hastur", a Darkover novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with a big question mark. I read this book 20 years ago. Not sure if I cried. But the Darkover series sure have a lot of tortured souls in them.

6. One book that you wish had been written: Another tough one for me. I think there are enough written down. People just have to want to read it. Also, there are stuff that need to be experienced and not read about.

7. One book you wish had never been written: Any book that distorts truth that eventually causes harm to people.

8. One book you're currently reading: "Patipada: Venerable Acariya Mun's Path of Practice" by Acariya Maha Boowa. Deeper exploration of Ven. Acariya Mun's practice. I've been reading this book on and off. (Off at the moment.) Slowly digesting the information.

9. One book you've been meaning to read: "The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning". I have taken it off the bookshelf since my last post, and will start reading it soon. People are tired of me asking spinning questions. LOL

10. Tag 6 people: Well, since I don't like to do memes, I will not push this on anyone. But if you want to, do it, and consider yourself tagged! :-)

How would you like it plied?

My "Hearts" spindle from Woolly Designs was getting really full. The amount of singles had been steadily building up ever since I started spinning. I decided it was time to ply the singles and get it off the spindle, or I'd be dropping more than spinning.

Fiber: Ashland Bay Multi Mahogany Top
Spindle: "Hearts" from Woolly Designs
Spindle spun singles, spindle plied, 2-ply.

The color is a little "bleh" for me. I don't dislike brown. But this one is not working for me. Not sure what I can knit/make with it.

The photo on the left shows (from left to right) KnitPicks' "Shadow" lace weight, "Mahogany", KnitPicks' "Essential Tweed" fingering weight, and Trekking XXL fingering weight. So, I'd say that I have a fingering weight yarn here.

I took the photo to compare the thickness of the yarn. But I couldn't help but notice the differences in the look of them. Do you see what I mean? The two on the left are 2-ply and the two on the right are 4-ply. 2-ply yarn looks more textured than the 4-ply yarn. This didn't surprise me since I recently had discussions with Randall from the guild and Ted the Oracle about what kind of yarn is more suitable for textured knitting. (Don't hit me, Ted. hehehe) But it was really interesting to see it with my eyes instead of just understanding it in my head.

If you take a bucketful of sand and a bucketful of gravel. Smooth out the top and look at them. The sand would have a smoother surface and the gravel a more textured surface. The reason is that sand is smaller and has less space in between each grain of sand. Gravel is larger and has more space in between. I hope this is making sense.

Now look at the yarn. Two yarn with the same weight, one 2-ply, one 4-ply. 2-ply yarn has two strands of larger singles, 4-ply has four strands of smaller singles. The 2-ply looks more textured because of the larger singles and the bigger space it has in between the singles when plied. It's more bumpy. The 4-ply with samller singles have smaller space in between the singles. It's a smoother look. Phew! I am really wordy. But I am not done. LOL Still make sense?

The amount of the twist can also affect the look. Look at KnitPicks' "Shadow" and my "Mahogany". I am not sure how to say this. "Shadow" has more twist. More twist seems to squeeze out more space and make the yarn appear to be less bumpy. Know what I mean? I look at my yarn and I know I will want to add more twist to my singles in the future, so there will be more twist when I ply them. That is if I want less bumpy yarn.

Another thing to consider when plying is that 2-ply yarn is more "flat", 3-ply yarn is more "round" and 4-ply yarn is more "square". But I am not so sure if it is correct to describe them as such. I must read "The Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning" from cover to cover. I am sure all that stuff is in there.

So, if I want to do textured knitting like cables, I will want less textured yarn to show off the texture of the fabric. 3-ply or 4-ply will probably be better choices. Hmmm... I think I've convinced myself to try Navajo-plying ASAP! LOL

I untwisted some yarn to see how they were plied. I took photos of them. Here they are:

Yarn that I've used for textured knitting with success. 1) Plymouth "Encore Worsted", 3-ply. 2) KnitPicks' "Wool of the Andes", 4-ply.

Yarn I have used or am using for lace shawl. 3) KnitPicks' "Shadow", 2-ply. 4) KnitPicks' "Palette", 2-ply.

Fingering weight sock yarn. 5) KnitPicks' "Essential", 4-ply. 6) KnitPicks' "Essential Tweed", 4-ply. 7) Trekking XXL, 4-ply.

Ted, I know I know. I've said that I didn't want to get "technical" when I start spinning. Guess I just couldn't help it. It's fun to look at things this way.

Sylvia, you really know my brain better than I do. LOL

Mudita

Mudita (appreciative/sympathetic joy)

I often feel uneasy after I put up a post about the gifts I receive from friends. I know that I don't do it to brag. I make sure that my intention is about thanking others and to show how generous they are. The givers are the ones deserving merits. But still, I feel uneasy.

This time it is no different. After the last post I started worrying if I was bragging. I wonder if I was being perceived as boasting my good fortune. This led to self questioning, "What do I feel when I see that others are the fortunate ones?" I can honestly say that most of the times I don't really feel anything. Other occassions I feel very happy for the lucky ones. But, I have to admit that there are also times that I feel jealous and envious. Wishing that I was the lucky one.

Fortunately, I was doing this reflection in front of the altar. So, my thoughts wandered toward the Buddhist practice of mudita, sympathetic joy.

Why feel happy when someone else is getting all the good? First, we have to keep in mind the Buddhist practice of ending suffering and stress, which leads to Nibbana (Nirvana in Sanskrit), to awakening.

Nibbana is...
"This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications, the relinquishment of all acquisitions, the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Nibbana."

— AN 3.32

Nibbana is not...
"There is that dimension where there is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space, nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; neither this world, nor the next world, nor sun, nor moon. And there, I say, there is neither coming, nor going, nor stasis; neither passing away nor arising: without stance, without foundation, without support [mental object]. This, just this, is the end of stress."

— Ud 8.1

OK, all that copying and pasting was to give an idea of Nibbana, which requires the practice of ending suffering and stress. Without getting into details of Buddhist practice, I think it's easy for us to see that peace and happiness cannot occupy in the heart at the same time with suffering and stress. When we are happy, we are not sad. When we are suffering, we are not peaceful.

Isn't jealousy suffering? Isn't envy stressful? They don't make us smile. And all that suffering and stress belong to us and only us. No one esle is feeling it. So wouldn't we want to get rid of them from our heart? How? Replace it with joy, sympathetic joy. When we have joy, suffering and stress cannot enter. It won't be easy at first. But just remind ourselves that stress really comes from our own heart. Not from others. It doesn't help anything to feel envy. In fact it might be harmful to our health. Even harmful to others when it gets out of control. So try replacing it with joy. For our own benefit, if not for others'. Stop suffering and stress from entering our heart. Choose peace instead.

Next time I start to feel jealousy or envy, I will think of mudita and smile instead.

Last day of the long weekend...

I can't believe it's the last day of the Labor Day weekend. What a week.

First thing I want to mention... I got tagged. Not just by one person. But by Ken and Knit Picking at the same time with the same list. LOL This one will take some thinking. It's about books. I haven't been a big book reader in recent years. Most of what I bought and read were about or related to Buddhist teachings. Some science fiction/fantasy here and there. A lot of reading online about Buddhist meditation. So, it's not going to be easy. But stay tuned. I will come up with something. If not, I'll just take a picture of our bookcases. LOL

Last Thursday I received a package from Dave. I knew it was coming. But I was completely floored with what he put inside. Such a generous man.

It all started when Mama-E received a gift from her friend. To share the joy with others, she created "Pay It Forward". Dave just loved the idea and went on to search for a target, um, I mean recipient. He came to my blog, and I just happened to have a post up sharing Francesca's Italian Tubular Cast-on with the blog community. So, in the spirit of sharing, he decided to choose me to "Pay It Forward". Hence the package:

OMG, full of stuff! In a written note he said he was "worried" that I've strayed from the socks. This hopefully will reel me back in. LOL Let's see. Two skeins of Koigu Premium Merino (on the left), one ball of Regia Loop Color (center), one ball of Lana Grossa Colortweed (right), a package of colorful Clover Coil Holders, one set of SRK US size 1 Bamboo DPNs, two beautiful postcards showing Ottawa's Rideau Canal, one bottle of Gold Medal winning maple syrup. Hmmm... postcards and a taste of Canada. Is that a nudge for a visit? ;-)

Dave, that's not a gentle reeling in. LOL That's everything a sock knitter needs. I don't even have to get into my stash. Not to worry, I am not abandoning sock knitting. There are just so much learning going on here lately. Thanks a bunch, Dave! Now it's my turn. :-D I'll try to keep it as much a surprise as possible.

Friday, I was floored again. I received this beautiful wrist distaff from Ted:

All that talk about fiber drafting difficulties and sweaty palm must had driven Ted to make a wrist distaff for me. I have to say, it's truly a gift from heaven for this new spinner. There was no waiting to give it a try on Friday night. I couldn't believe the difference it made. The fiber stay wrapped around the distaff until I pulled it off little by little. No fiber sticking to the palm. I absolutely love it! I will not spindle without this wrist distaff again.

And what a beautiful piece of art it is too. Ted spindle-spun Sea Island cotton into singles. Then he Navajo-plied the singles on the wheel. I can't believe how fine Ted spun the singles. This 3-ply yarn is only a fingering weight or finer. Just look at the pictures. It's incredible work. And so soft. The colors are super gorgeous too! Not only did he make one for me, he also made one for my local spinning teacher, John. John just marveled at the beauty of the work. And what a perfect color to match the turquoise necklace he was wearing. :-) It's just incredible. Thank you, thank you, Ted!

Speaking of John, he picked me up Saturday morning to go to the support spindle class sponsored by our guild. (What great timing for the package to arrive, Ted!) We met Mariko and the three of us drove out to Torrance to attend the class taught by Gwen Powell, one of the founding members of the guild. What a great class! It's so much fun to have so many friends in one place. John, Mariko, Jill, Kathy, Francesca, Patrice, Helene and so many others. A bit chaotic, but great fun. :-)

Gwen taught the basics of support spindle spinning. Then she went on to show us spinning with out-of-ordinary materials like Christmas tencil and strips of paper. She also showed us how to spin "Catepillar" and "Boucle". Think outside of the box she stressed. What an eye opener the class was. There are now endless possibilities with spinning.

Here's something to show Ted. I don't have a picture of "Suzie", YET. But before John and I parted he grabbed a big wad of "Suzie" out of his bag and gave it to me. He also loaned me a pair of Strauch hand cards so I could practice carding. I love the silver grey color. Ooooo, I can't wait to blend some fiber.

I don't know why I am so fortunate to receive so much during this last week. I am a little embarrassed, but very very thankful. Understand that I am not trying to show off my gifts (maybe a little? I am just so hyped.) But to show the generosity of these people and to express my gratitude. I am so lucky to have friends and mentors that are so willing to help (enable hehehe) a newbie to learn and create. :-)

Now some scary pictures:

The above is a swatch I made with my wheel-spun purple yarn. I think it's OK for a beginner. I am not so happy with the stitch definition. But hey, it's a learning experience. This will be made into a pair of fingerless gloves for my partner. I was quite surprised that he was accepting of the color. :-)

Oh, the yellow yarn. The singles was spun when I was trying to figure out how the wheel work for the first time. I then plied it with a spindle. Is that a little backward? LOL The yarn is very thick-and-thin.

The above is a picture of the current state of our apartment building. Shocking? LOL Rest assured, it's not normally like this. The building is being re-painted. They sanded some rough spots. Too bad it's not Halloween. It would be a perfect haunted house look! :-)

Long post. Sheesh! And lots of links. LOL

All twisted!

Some of you will instantly spot the mistakes in the yarn I made (pictured above). I created a terrible mess of the singles when I tried to ply them. I will explain.

The singles were spun when I was still getting to know the workings of a wheel. Which was after watching an excellent video by Patsy Z, the Hand Spinnin' Guru, and before John's class. Lots of inconsistencies. So I decided to carefully ply them as to try to make a balanced yarn. But I made a big mistake. Huge! I had more singles on one bobbin than another. SO, trying not to waste yarn, I decided to make a center-pull ball with the bigger bobbin of singles. The idea was that after the smaller bobbin ran out, I could just pull out the other end of the ball of singles and continue to ply with it. I think it was a good idea. The thing was that I just put the ball of singles in a bowl and started plying. Without some extra weight to create more tension, that ball of singles started to get all twisted and tangled. Bad bad bad. So, when the ball got smaller the mess got bigger. Not only did I get a tangled mess, I also didn't have the tension to ply correctly. Grrrr! In the end I had to break the yarn after the smaller bobbin was done. I just ran out of patience to fuss with the problem. So, I got a little less than 4 oz in the skein that I made. I'll use the rest of the singles in some kind of leftover yarn project. I don't even want to look at it at the moment. LOL The fiber is Ashland Bay's Merino top.

Another lesson learned.

I was able to get some knitting done on "My So Called Scarf". I took it to the spinning guild meeting and realized that I wasn't very good at stitching and bitching at the same time. LOL The scarf is 30 stitches wide. At one point during the meeting I noticed something wasn't looking quite right. I didn't think much of it and continued. I thought it was just the way the yarn looked. You know, thick and thin. Then I stopped and counted the stitches. 12!!! What??? How did that happen? I took one look at the scarf and just couldn't believe myself. How did I let it get that way? LOL I think I forgot to knit one extra stitch before doing a psso. The stitch count dropped super fast like that. Fortunately it was possible to rip back and correct the mistakes.

I am loving the colors in the scarf.

Violets Revised

When I was knitting the sample for Violets by the River I noticed that the right and left sides of the triangle did not look the same. I wasn't satisfied with the look. I thought maybe blocking would take care of it, but I talked to Ted just in case. Turned out that he wasn't pleased with the original design either. So he shared with me the modification he made when he knitted his "Violets".

Following the original instructions, when knitting the violets you increase 2 stitches on the purl rows (even number rows). This will create an unbalanced look (in my opinion). To solve the problem, do a YO at the beginning of each row instead (except the last row of the pattern.) This will give you 2 increases every 2 rows, just like the original pattern.

The cast-on and the first 2 rows are also modified to incorporate the YOs. Cast on 3 stitches using long-tail cast-on. Do not tighten the strand coming off the thumb too much. Keep it loose. (Check out Ted's post on loose cast-on.) Then follow these steps:

Row 1: YO, k 3. (4 stitches on needle)
Row 2: YO, p 4. (5 stitches on needle)
Row 3: YO, k 2, O, SSK, k1. (6 stitches on needle. This is actually the same as what's charted for Row 3 in the pattern, except that there's YO at the beginning.)
Row 4: YO, p to end.
Row 5: YO, k1, k2tog, O, k1, O, SSK, k1.
Row 6: YO, p to end.

So, basically you work the odd number rows as instructed in the pattern except adding a YO in the beginning of the row. The even number rows your work a YO in the beginning then just purl to the end, ignoring the k f&B increases. You might want to hold the YOs in place with your fingers when you work the next stitch so that it won't twist out of place. Do the YOs normally. Meaning yarn in back on the knit rows, yarn in front on the purl rows. Don't do the YO on the last row of the pattern (which is an odd number row), or you will have one extra YO on the right of the triangle.

A, B and C in the above picture are the 3 cast-on stitches. A being the first one. Put markers on these and it will be much easier to pick up and knit later. D is the first YO on row 1.

Now, after you finish knitting the violets, you will begin knitting up along left and right sides of the triangle for the River, starting on the left. Put a spare needle through the YOs on the left like this:

Once you are ready, pick-up and knit like this: (knit, purl into 1 YO; knit, purl into next YO; knit into 3rd YO); repeat this along the edge. There should be 121 stitches when you reach the cast-on stitch marked A . Work "k1, O k1" into the stitch marked B. Beginning with the cast-on stitch marked C you pick-up and knit like before. If for some reason that you find you have too many stitches picked up, skip some the purl stitches in the process.

Now, there's one more thing. Ted turned me on to adding one extra stitch on each side so that the violets are not so near the edges. If you compare the two samples above, you will notice that the pink violets are not as close to the edge as the green one. If you like that, you will have to add a couple of rows before you start the pattern. Meaning, you will start knitting the violets at row 5 instead of row 3. This is what you do:

Cast on 3 stitches.
Row 1: YO, k 3. (4 stitches on needle)
Row 2: YO, p 4. (5 stitches on needle)
Row 3: YO, k 5. (6 stitches on needle)
Row 4: YO, p 6. (7 stitches on needle)
Row 5: YO, k3, O, SSK, k2.
Row 6: YO, p to end.

As stated, the pattern begins on row 5. Follow the pattern. Just remember that you are adding one extra stitch at the beginning after the YO, and one at the end.

Now, there will be 2 extra rows when you are ready to pick-up for the River. So, take out a couple of the purl stitches. Also, there will be 2 extra stitches across the top when you are ready for the honeybees. You can ignore the increases on one row to remedy that.

OK, I think that's it. Let me know if there's any questions. I'll try my best to answer them.

Ted, please let me know if you see anything wrong. Oh, Ted, thanks for all the instructions and the sample photos. :-)

Andean Plying

Enjoy Andean plying but worry about cutting off circulation of your hand? Here's a trick:

Andean Plying Bracelet, Simplified

Thanks Rosemary!

On another subject. The post on how Ted modified "Violets of the River" is long overdue. I will organize the info as best as I can and post it either later today or tomorrow.

Cards Anyone?

Yep! I want a pair of hand cards. Never, NEVER in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would want to get into fiber preparation. The thing is, with a wonderful teacher, some fleece that came with a cute baby picture of a sheep name "Susie", ample time to practice over and over, some dyed fleece to try some fiber blending fun, you get hooked! I want some hand cards! If not for the other things that I purchased, I would've gotten a pair. *sigh* What's next?

Last weekend was the "Fabulous Fiber Fest" show. I spent 6 hours on Friday in the "Spinning Wheel A-Z" class, taught by the very wonderful and very thorough John Pitblado. Even though I had started spinning on a borrowed wheel prior to the lessons, it was good to learn what the teacher recommended. I picked up so many new skills. Oh yes, including carding and combing. Combs are scary looking. John dubbed them "Freddy Combs".

The wonderful John Pitblado.

Spinning Class in session.

The yarn I made in class. Other than setting the twist, it was completely done in class. John provided the fiber. I think it was Colonial.

I got this from Carolina Homespun. Click on the photo for a larger view. Know what it is? Sparkles! Sparkly "Angelina" fiber. I had to get it. I've been wanting some for a while. This one is "Crystal Amethyst" with blue/purple flashes when the light hits the fiber. Beautiful. I am hoping to get some "Silver Hologram" in the future. That one looks like it has tiny LED lights embbeded in it. WOW!

I wonder if I can blend this with some roving using hand cards? Can roving be worked again with hand cards?

This is Dave, a member of GLASG, demonstrating wheel spinning and greeting people. I really enjoyed chatting with him, watching him spin, and checking out his goodies during breaks.

This little girl and her mom were also giving demonstration on spinning, plus crocheting. Isn't that an interesting wheel? AND, look over to the left. See the sparkles in the fiber on the table? Yep! Angelina! Oh, I want some more of that!

Here are some of the show pieces. They were hung throughout the space:

This is where a lot of people walked away with empty wallets. Carolina Homespun. I truly enjoyed meeting Morgaine. I loved getting hugs from her. :-) What did I get? Well, not many items. The "Angelina" fiber, some silk for the class, some lubricant for spinning wheel. Oh yeah, I can now be called an owner of a wheel! Yep. Got myself a double-treadle Lendrum and its carrying bag. Couldn't buy anything else after that!

This is the Azabu-ya booth. Tons and tons of fabric. Lots of beautiful Japanese fabric.

More photos of the vendors at the show:

Shawls in the "Shawl Contest":

Alpacas! I was surprised to see them there. I didn't think they could arrange for farm animals to be at the location. They weren't there when I arrived early for the class.

Sunday GLASG spin-in. From 9:30 am to 2 pm. Hours of fun. I was too lazy to take the wheel so I took my spindles. We sat outside next to the entrance and that attracted a lot of people. They stopped to see the spinning action and asked questions. We might have gotten a few new members out of this. :-)

Lisa and Randall. Lisa has a business and travels around to be in shows. Sorry, I can't remember the name of it. Randall is our guild president.

This is Chris. He brought along a few of his English Angora rabbits. Here you can see Chris plucking fur from a rabbit. No, it didn't hurt. I think they rather liked it. :-)

This is Helene, a wonderful lady. I believe we will be carpooling quite often in the future. Her home is only minutes away from me. Oh yeah, you can see that Chris was still plucking away.

A little petting zoo was created. These are two of Chris' rabbits. People just loved them. Chris also had some samples knitted with Angora fur on hand. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of those.