New Pattern, New Knitting, and New Movie Discoveries

 I've released a new knitting pattern – Midnight Snowfall Hat & Mittens

After I designed the ‘Midnight Snowfall Tea Cozy, I just had to use the color pattern as the main pattern for a set of hats and mittens.

To make the mittens more interesting to knit and wear, I designed them in the Norwegian style, with a smaller palm pattern, striped thumb gussets and thumbs, demarcating side stripes, and angled shaping at the tips.

Instead of the usual Norwegian-style wide patterned cuff, which wears outside one’s sweater or jacket, I used ribbing for the cuffs, as I prefer mitten cuffs to reside inside my sweater or coat. I left the hats pompom-less, but there’s no reason you can’t add them!

The pattern offers a child’s medium and a woman’s medium hat and mittens, knit in widely available Lamb’s Pride Worsted and Lanaloft Worsted. Full-size mitten charts make it easier to follow.  Knit a set for someone you love this winter!

Sized to fit a medium child / medium woman.
The pattern is $6 and is available on Ravelry, Etsy, and Lovecrafts.

More Knitting in the Works

LOL, see a theme here!?

Yup, pinks and lots of them – Victorian Pink Nature Spun Worsted, and Rosado Rose and Orchard Blush Lamb's Pride Worsted.  All destined to be cable sweaters.  My wardrobe is seriously lacking in pink, which I want to pair with charcoal grey pants and the pink plaid Grasshoppers Janey sneakers I bought years ago

I have 3 sweaters in progress (and 2 more in the planning stages) – a stranded Norwegian Fans cardigan, a classic cable v-neck pullover in Victorian Pink Nature Spun Worsted, and a crew neck cardigan version for my granddaughter Evelyn in Orchard Blush Lamb's Pride Worsted, which she can wear with one of the hat/mitten sets I knit for her that uses that color.

I always knit sweaters from the bottom up, as it gives me plenty of time, while I'm knitting, to cogitate about details - whether I want a waist detail or something to accentuate the neckline.  I rarely pre-plan a design.  I design by doing.  It's the same for me when weaving, cooking, or baking.

When it comes to clothing, I prefer florals and classics.  Almost every summer dress I have is a floral!  When it comes to sweaters, I definitely prefer cables and Fair Isles (or Norwegian and Swedish patterns).

No photos yet, though, as I'm just at the beginning of these designs.

New Movie Discoveries

I'm always scanning Prime Video, Pluto, Tubi, and sometimes Crackle, trying to find *good* movies to watch.  I prefer movies and a good series over any other type of television.  While knitting, I find a series is ideal to put on to listen to, as movies end too soon, then I gotta interrupt my work to try to find another one I want to watch.

It's getting harder and harder, though, as the years go by to find good stories, acting, and directing.  All three are needed to make a good movie.  So, I tend to re-watch things I've seen many times before, funny movies like 'Nadine' from 1987 with Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger, or real classics like Fred & Ginger, or the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple movies from the early '60's.

This week, though, i discovered 2 good movies – 'Flawless', with Michael Caine and Demi Moore, and 'The Courier', with Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan (from Mrs. Maisel, a series I LOVE, as a fellow fast-talking and moving New Yorker!).  I've liked Benedict's work since the Sherlock series.  And Sir Michael Caine never seems to do poor work and I love to listen to his Cockney accent!

As for a good series I never tire of (besides Poirot) are all the John Nettles episodes of 'Midsomar Murders'.  I've been knitting a lot, so I'm on my 4th trip through his 13 seasons! 

May your needles fly like the wind, while enjoying something good to watch!
Dawn

New Patterns and Staying Cool!

 New Patterns!

I haven't posted recently, as I've been busy trying to get the patterns written for this pile of mostly knit design samples I began up to 2 years ago!

About 10 days ago, I published 'Quilt Cloths' - an easy to knit set of quilt block inspired face/bath cloths, worked in KnitPicks Dishie cotton yarn.  Dishie is soft, smoothly spun, and easy on the hands, unlike some cotton yarns I have tried in the past.  It is also reasonably priced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The newest pattern release is this - 'Cable & Rib Tea Cozy', sampled in Brown Sheep
Lanaloft Worsted and Lamb's Pride Worsted.  Pattern has 2-3 cup and 3-4 cup sizes, and sport a braided I-cord cable embellishment!  

The 2-3 cup size only needs about 38 gr of yarn, and the 3-4 cup size needs about 55 gr of yarn, which makes this project a way to use up those small amounts of stash yarns to knit up some gifts for the tea drinkers in your life!

Both patterns are available on Ravelry, Etsy, and Lovecrafts.

Staying Cool

Fall is definitely here, with its decidedly crisp air, which means the holidays start to take over our brains!  I, for one, wish there were more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And I'm sure I'm not the only one wishing this!  I've never liked feeling rushed, and like it less the older I get.  

Winter is supposed to be that slow-down time, for rest and contemplation, but I find that doesn't happen until February at the earliest, after the yearly taxes are prepped to send to the accountant.  And here, on Cape Cod, winter only really begins in late December and lasts until March.  LOL, that doesn't leave a whole lotta rest and relaxation time!

It used to be that I lived for those two all-too-short winter months when I wasn't swamped with responsibilities, as it was the only time I ever slept well.  I always need it cold to sleep - a cool head but a warm body, facilitated by many layers of cotton bedding topped with wool blankets and afghans.  This means that every spring through autumn, sleep was a struggle, and we all now what happens to our health when we don't get good quality sleep.  It takes me down quickly, within a few days.  

Several years ago, I discovered this - a Coolbot. 

It's a contraption that is used by florists and others who need to construct an inexpensive walk-in-fridge.  It overrides the temperature sensor in an AC unit, to allow the AC to cool the space to a much lower temperature than AC's do these days, which, without freon, is only about 62 degrees.

They have an online calculator that shows the size of the AC needed to cool a given room size to one's desired temperature.  For my bedroom of about 10' x 12' x 7.5' high ceiling, the calculator recommends a 10K btu AC unit.  This spec put me off for years!  These windows aren't large enough for a 10K unit.

But this past spring I said to hell with it.  We'll get an 8K AC unit and the Coolbot, because anything lower than 62 degrees is better than nothing and watching my health and functioning fly out the window.  Lo and behold, I can cool my bedroom (in this circa 1947 not well insulated house) to 50 degrees.  I could probably get it colder than that if I wanted, but this is a perfect temp for me, until winter finally settles in, when I sleep with the window open and a twin window fan on.  

So, between the cool room temp every night and the several sleep aids I take, once I fall asleep, I'm out for the entire night.  I cannot tell you what a blessing this is!  Ever since chemo 14 yrs ago, sleep has been difficult at best and almost nonexistent at its worst.  No longer do I need to live for just 2 months of every year - I can actually function decently every day of the year.

If you too struggle with sleep and need it cold in order to sleep well, this gadget is
well worth considering.  Granted, it's not inexpensive, but I'm SO happy we bought it.

Onward!
Dawn

Last of the Grandkids’ Knits

The hat and mittens to go with grandson Alex’s cable sweater are finished and wet-blocked.  As I’ve been eager to get on with my spinning and weaving projects (and heaven knows when I can get to finish the languishing knitting patterns), I knit an easy cap - just 1 x 1 rib throughout, with a fold up cuff via a purl turning ridge.  

For the mittens, I followed the easy Drops/Garnstudio ‘Warmhearted Mittens’ pattern, making adjustments for the gauge difference.  As the mittens are in one color and knit with a singles yarn (Lanaloft Worsted), not stranded like both pairs of Evelyn’s mittens, I knit them snugly, for warmth and better wear. 

I also changed the shaping at the tips, decreasing sts evenly around, instead of just at the sides.  It is how I always shape sock toes, too, much preferring round toes to the side-shaped toes.

Onward!

Kids’ Knits

DS, DDIL, and the kids travel a lot.  The kids are getting some fantastic experiences already in life, including a lot of farm stays.  Since this post I’ve been knitting on Alex’s Minnowknits Faux Fisherman pullover for Christmas.  I still need to do the neck edging and wet block it.

As little Evelyn’s Minnowknits hat was on hold, I searched for another pattern, again, hoping I could be a blind follower and not have to adjust stitch and row count because of gauge diffs.  When I found this Drops/Garnstudio pattern, I just had to knit it.  It will remind Evelyn of her times at the various farms she’s been to. 

I find knitting cables and texture stitches to be tedious sometimes, well, a LOT of times!  I’m really a color pattern knitter, it’s what my hands like to do best, so this hat was a nice reprieve from cabling, even though, once again, I had to adjust the pattern to fit my yarn and gauge.  The hat pattern didn’t come with mittens, but what is a hat without mittens?  So, I designed mittens to match.  As there’s just 32 sts in these wee mittens, I ran the color pattern around the palm as well as the back of the hand, instead of working a separate pattern for the palm.  One can’t get up a head of steam while changing patterns every 18 sts, especially while working a pictorial, like this one.

The yarns used were two Lamb’s Pride Worsted yarns, one Lanaloft Worsted, and two Cascade Yarns Ecological wool yarns - all heavy worsted wt, knit snugly on US 7’s.

The kids’ birthdays also flank Christmas, one in December, one in January, so more knitting is needed.  I’ll design a cabled cap and mittens in the same grey to match Alex’s pullover, and for Evelyn, another cute hat and mitten set.  Also a Drops/Garnstudio pattern - Warmhearted Hat.

But, no blind following for this design either!  It was designed as a tam, with increases then decreases to shape the tam.  I changed it to a regular hat, and changed the color patterns.  I must have re-charted this hat 6 times, before I got the balance of motif and color to please my eye. The hat is wet blocking and awaiting its pompom.

The Warmhearted Mittens that go with the hat has dice around the entire mitten, which I changed to stripes on half the mitten.  2-st patterns go much faster than pictorials!  With the thumbs at the sides, the mittens can be worn with the stripes on the back or on the palm - wearer’s choice.

They have tons of toys and art supplies, so the kids will be getting knits if and until they outgrow wearing things that Grandma (moi) makes.  If I’m lucky, and mindful of whatever trends they’ll be following as they grow up, I might be able to knit for them for a long time to come.  Fingers crossed!

Onward,
Dawn

All Tied Up

My 1978 Hammett floor loom came with thick cotton cords for all its tie-ups.  Try as I might, getting everything to be even and at the correct heights is near impossible.  As soon as I think I've got the cords to be even, I go to tie the knots and the cord slips.

I've been wanting to replace all the cords with Texsolv for quite some time. The last 1 3/4 years has seen the loom sitting unused in the dining room, as I wasn't well enough to weave.  Now that I am, I don't want to put a warp onto it, until I replace all the cords.

These types of projects need to be done slowly and methodically, to keep the Oops at bay!  The first thing I did was to collate tools - a small Phillips head screwdriver and good scissors.  Many of the cotton cords were mostly original to the loom and needed prying loose.  When I couldn’t open the knots, I’d just cut the cord close to the knot and push the small cut end through the screw eyes.  This worked well.

The beater had previously been removed.  I also removed the breast beam and the cloth beam and it's ratchet, as I didn't want to bonk my head on the cloth beam, when it was time to crawl inside the loom.  I then clamped the harnesses in place, then I removed the cords from the lamms to the treadles (to relieve the weight and pull from the treadles), then the cords from the harnesses to the lamms.

I then realized I’d need to prop up the harnesses, so they wouldn’t come crashing down, as I removed the top roller cords.  Luckily my loom bench (this barstool at Target) was the perfect height to put under the harnesses.  

 

I then removed the cotton cord and added the Texsolv cord to the right side upper roller, then the right side of the harnesses to secondary roller.  As I had bought a 22-yd spool of Texsolv cord, I cut the lengths generously for this loom, at  23".  Once the loom is warped and any final adjustments to the cording made, I can trim the excess.

Because the lamms are hinged on the left side, I couldn’t put the stool on the left to hold the harnesses up, so I used some of the freed up cotton cord to tie the harnesses up over the top roller, and replaced the cords on the left side.

I'm using these brass paper holders to secure the Texsolv ties.  Thanks to Lucille on the Warped Weavers Ravelry group for the idea!  They work well and cost much less than Texsolv pegs. Once I was happy with how things were hanging, I folded the paper clip ends around and over the button end.

Then I replaced the harness to lamm cords, then finally the lamm to treadle cords.  A small empty box held the treadles up at a good height – it's hard enough on the body being squished into a small space on the floor, without having to also  hold up heavy treadles, while trying to insert cords!  And to hasten this process, I used extra long cords for the harnesses to lamms and lamms to treadles, so that I only needed one clip on each cord, instead of 2.

It wasn’t a quick project, but quicker than putting a warp on!  And you may have noticed, I replaced the original metal heddles with Texsolv – no more clanking and banging – I don’t like unnecessary noise.

Now that the loom is done, I can begin to warp for afghan and rag rug samples.
Onward,
Dawn

Repurposing Space

Many of us live in constrained spaces.  Finding ways to store our essentials, preferably without spending $, can be a challenge.

My studio space (everything for spinning, weaving, sewing, and ALL the shipping accoutrement) is in our dining room. The room is only about 13’ square, and has 2 (space wasting) built-in corner cupboards, 3 windows, a doorway and a large opening to the stairwell and living room.

I am constantly trying to eek out a bit more storage.  The largest bugbear to this room has been this keyhole desk above. We bought it years ago from the local Restore, long before I bought the new-to-me floor loom, as my office was originally in the dining room, but is now squeezed into my bedroom.

I’d have sold it already, and put a 4’ wide tall metal rack in its place, except it was a Project getting it into the dining room in the first place.

All our interior doorways are a bit too narrow, so the door moldings had to be removed first, so the desk would squeeze through, then the moldings had to be put back and the paint touched up.  So, this baby isn’t going anywhere, until we cut the desk’s overhang off the back of it, so it can go through the doorways and out!  

Last night, as I continued plans for spinning and weaving projects I need to start soon, the dilemma arose as to where on earth was I going to put a bump or 2 of wool top, as well as the things I will be weaving – more rag rugs and wool afghans.

So, I gave the desk a re-think.  Both the large lower drawers hold files.  But as we also keep files in the basement, I decided to move all the files out and stash my fabrics in the drawers.

Some people save jars (I do too, and plastic bags, and, and..), but I also save boxes.  I have a bunch of PM Regional Rate C boxes, back from when they actually offered a rate C option.  I use them on occasion and just Sharpie over the ‘Rate C’.  But, it turns out they are also the perfect width for the desk’s metal file holders to hold all my files. Taped the bottoms for strength and cut off the top flaps.  Now I just gotta haul them into the basement.

Both drawers stuffed to the gills!

Onward!
Dawn







 

Wool Pillow Project

I've long admired all the great new wool bedding products being made, but my thrifty DIY self does not like to pay premium prices for something I can make myself, and the one thing I've been needing is a new bed pillow.

For many years I've been using Tempur-Pedic pillows when I find them at a good price. They last me many years, as I have no qualms about cutting them open and re-shifting the insides, to keep the ideal pillow shape, as needed.

One of my hand spinning experiments was a really thick roving yarn that I semi-felted. My wheel isn't really geared to spinning this type of yarn easily, so the experiment ended there.

I have several balls of it, and no immediate need for it to be woven or knit, but hubby used to have a Martha Stewart pillow that was just filled with little poly puff balls, so I took the idea and have been cutting the yarn into about 1.5-2" lengths and pulling each bit apart to make little wool puff balls. 

Here's my largest (16" diameter) SS bowl being filled with them.  I filled the bowl a couple times.  I then stuffed them into a zippered pillow protector, so the tufts can be re-shifted and added to, as needed. 

It has taken some time to finish this project, but I didn’t work on it consistently.  Although it initially looked like one, 100 gr ball of yarn made enough puffs to fill about half the pillowcase, it turns out using only 2 balls of puffs would have made a rather flat pillow.  In the end I used 4 balls (400 gr/14 ozs.) of yarn cut and pulled into puffs.  I didn't pack the pillowcase, instead I left enough room for shifting the puffs, as needed.  On with a cotton pillowcase, and I slept on it last night for the first time.  

I was hoping, but wasn’t expecting, the pillow to work out as well as it did.  The little puffs allow my head to nestle in, and I could scrunch the pillow under my neck, when shifting from my back to my side.  It worked out well and is comfortable.

If anyone tries this idea, do let know how it works for you!

Onward,
Dawn

Christmas in August

I always need a Plan.  Not a Deadline, mind you, just a plan.  At this point in life, ‘deadline’ is a dirty word. Who needs the stress?

I do, however, need my mind and my environment to be organized, or I feel overwhelmed and flounder in indecision and a lack of motivation.  It’s logical, as being motivated intimates a state of action, or near action, but if one doesn’t know what to take action upon, the action is stymied.  Energy flow is blocked.  It’s bad feng shui, for both the mind and the body!

So, as I’m back to feeling well enough to cook, clean, and climb stairs to do laundry, my natural inclination is to get back to work - knitting patterns, spinning, and weaving, as well as planning some home projects – sewing, organizing, getting in a few much needed things, and getting rid of the old tat and broken electronics and appliances.  

There’s a lot that needs doing!  And although I am feeling well enough, though still on the mend, I’ve learned (finally) not to over do.  Being organized and having a Plan of Action is crucial.  Hence, Christmas in August.  I’ve begun the knitting for the grandkids’ Christmas gifts now, instead of putting it off until November.

I don’t really have time right now to design things from scratch, as heaven knows, there’s a pile of half-finished designs and patterns sitting here waiting for me the past 2 years.  

So, I pulled out the kids’ pattern books that I have hoping to, just once, be able to follow someone else’s pattern, as EZ used to say, as a Blind Follower.  At least, that was the plan.  And we all know how the Universe laughs at plans!

I have 2 Minnowknits books, this one and this one, also Takle and Kolstad’s “Small Sweaters”, 3 Debbie Bliss books, and VK’s Kids issue from 2001. Not a lot of books, but enough to inspire.

I also pulled out my binder of sizing info – data I had collected over many years of designing.  Looking through all this data, however, made my head begin to swim.  It all wasn’t organized enough to be a quick reference.  

So, a Detour.  Spent an entire day (and will need to continue it another day) organizing all this info into charts – body measurement info, but also ease and sizing info, which is affected by yarn weight and stitch patterns.  This short detour is a necessary refreshing of the memory, as I’ve not been knitting for children often, just once a year.

But of course, all the patterns I like will need some (or a lot of!) reconfiguring. It’s always the way – I’ll like a particular stitch pattern or color chart being used, but don’t have the pattern’s given weight and style of yarn, or the pattern isn’t in the size I need.  I’m sure a lot of knitters are faced with this same scenario.  Most of the time, it is all easily enough remedied, so long as one doesn’t mind some math.

I’ve begun with this hat, for my granddaughter, who turns 3 in January. The hat was originally designed in a DK wt. yarn, and I’m using Lamb’s Pride Worsted which leans toward a heavy worsted weight, so I had to reconfigure the stitch counts and the stitch patterns, as well as the ear flap shaping.  The ear flaps took the most time and I’m still not sure about them.

The edges of the earflaps, front and back edges are also left plain in the pattern, which I don’t like, so I’ll be adding an edging.  And a hat needs matching mittens, so I’ll need to design them.

I’m still not sure I want to continue knitting this pattern in the yarn I have, so I ordered 16” and 24” Basix circulars in sizes 4, 5 and 6, in case I decide to rework it (or start something else) in a DK wt. yarn, likely Nature Spun Worsted, which, despite the name, really wants to be knit at a DK wt. gauge. 

I have plenty of circulars, but in larger sizes, and, as is usual, the price of my beloved Addi Turbos have risen quite a bit since I bought my circulars 25 ish years ago!  I don’t mind investing in tools, as I LOVE tools, but am not eager to spend $90 for 5 sets of circulars!

So, while the hat is on hold, I decided to knit this aran sweater for grandson, who turns 5 in December.  

In both of Jil Eaton’s Minnowknits books, there is the same cream-colored aran sweater, in a chunky gauge. I have more than enough Lanaloft Worsted in Manor Grey and Ash, and I decided on the grey. Again, despite the name, the LLW really wants to be knit at a heavy worsted wt, gauge.

Naturally, my gauge is a smidge snugger than the pattern’s, so more reconfiguring was needed.  But that was just the beginning of the needed adjustments. As I knit sweaters in the round, never pieced like in this pattern, this too had to be addressed.  The next thing to change was the direction of the cables on the left front and the left back, so that the cables face each other (mirror image), instead of all crossing in the same direction. I really like things to be balanced, which shows an attention to detail when creating a pattern, that enough thought and planning has gone into the design.

The last change I’m making is how often the 2/2 and 3/3 cables are crossed. The pattern has them both crossed every 8th row, which is rather loose for my taste, so I’m crossing the 2/2 cables on every 4th rnd and the 3/3 cables on every 6th rnd.

I could have just designed this sweater from scratch, for all the changes I’m needing to make, but it will be all the better for it!  

Grandson is said to be fussy about what he will wear, so I knit this aran pullover more in hope, than expectation, that he will like it enough to wear it!

Onward,
Dawn

Sheepy Grey Rescued by Beautiful Norwegian Countryside!

 (Originally posted on WP 3/3/22.)

When I’m feeling loquacious (which hasn’t occurred at all this past year), I tend to start many blog posts. Start, not finish. I want to get the gist of them down on (virtual) paper, lest I forget them.

Time passes, though, and life and work move on, so about half of these half-written posts are no longer relevant. The following post though still holds true. To be honest, I don’t remember if I ever posted it to my old blog.

Sheepy Grey Rescued by Beautiful Norwegian Countryside!

Until recently, I had been knitting up my modest stash.  It amazes me that the yarns and colors I wish I had more of, I don't, yet the yarns and colors I do have, make me go, eh.

Like sheep's grey.  That earthy, isn't quite grey, isn't quite brown, can't make up its mind, murky color, which only men seem to tolerate!  I have bucket loads of the stuff. Well, not bucket loads, but, about 1.5 lbs of it, which is a lot, compared to the bits and bobs in the rest of my stash.

I was beginning to go off the Garter Stitch Deep End, aka Garters on the Brain. Washcloths, in various stages of progress, sit, as yet unfinished, as do the rest of the garter stitch lampshade covers, and a rough sketch of a garter stitch design sits with sample yarn, yet to be fleshed out. But, as I was writing that post, hubby was on his way home from the library, with our usual magazine load – Yankee, Consumer Reports, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Country Living, and any VKs he can find.

What he also had in his arms was The Best of Lopi, More Sweaters, Monkeysuits, and Knit One, Knit All.

This last book is one of two EZ books I did not own. I have Knitter's Almanac, Knitting Workshop, Knitting Around (my all-time favorite), and The Opinionated Knitter.

I don't have Knitting Without Tears, although I did borrow it from the library once, but saw no need to purchase it. But, after slowly perusing it, I had to get a copy of ‘Knit One Knit All’ And although I've seen mention of EZ's Add-A-Bootees, I never saw the pattern. 'Til now.

So, did I finish up the all garter stitch work piled onto the back of the love seat, necessitating that I sit gingerly, lest all the yarn balls, with their attached ndls, don't come tumbling down upon me?  Of course not. I immediately pulled out that boring, sheepy grey wool yarn (Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool), made sure the ball had been wound with doubled strands (it had), pulled out a size 8 Addi Turbo and the old-style Bryspun Flexible dpns (love, no, LOVE my Turbos and Bryspuns, but only the old-style Bryspuns, not the newer, concave ones), and CO an Add-a-Bootee, to see if I like the design.

I'm always up for a good slipper sock design, but, have not (yet, anyway) found one I want to knit repeatedly. We will see how this one goes.

As I cogitate about the matter (and I do like to chew on things, until I really understand my own perspective and motivation), I think my long-time aversion to garter stitch is connected to its use in clothing.

I don't mind it used in household linens, like afghans, area rugs, and the lowly washcloth – the stitch seems to make sense in these applications. In clothing, however, it makes the fabric thick, unless knit in very thin yarn. It also makes it bumpy, and uncomfortable.

For thickness, I prefer Fair Isle or stranding – to me, a riot of color and pattern, or fabulous cable texture, should be the trade-off from having to have the extra fabric thickness. I'm not (yet, anyway!) sold on garter stitch's use in clothing, except, hopefully, these bootees.

But, this post is also about design, not just color. We all have colors we are attracted to like honeybees to flowers. My heart stops when I see a particular shade of intense fuchsia. My brain suddenly goes into dreamy mode. Cobalt blue also has this effect, though to a lesser degree. It's something about the red/blue balance in fuchsia, which speaks to me.

Then I look at earthy colors, like that sheep's grey, and it's Thud. No sparks, no dreaminess, no inner sighing. I know the sheep can't help the color wool they make. And I love sheep. One can hardly be a knitter and not at least appreciate sheep, if not love them, but the earthiness does not inspire design.

Or does it?

I love many things. One thing I love, and have yet to get to do, in my nearly 63 and counting years, is travel. It's one reason I love to read EZ's Knitting Around. I could (and do) read of EZ's magical early years, over and over. All that travel, all those wonderful experiences in places far afield from where she grew up. Some knitters prefer her Knitter's Almanac, but, I'm already that older women, living a hidden-away life, so I don't harken for more of the same – I yearn for Adventure, to, finally, get out of the house!

We can then want to surround ourselves with what we don't have, so I love to watch travel shows – Rick Steves, Rudy Maxa, The Visions series on Amazon, especially Visions of Austria, and to some extent, Debra Rixon's shows.

I cannot watch these shows, though, without seeing design, everywhere.

As Rick Steves' videographer pans across the Western Norwegian countryside, what do I see? Farmhouses in that sheepy grey color, with barn red or white trim - Ooh! Look how well they go together, I think to myself, and store the idea away.

As we’ve owned this cedar-shingled cape-style house on Cape Cod for the past 11 years, I'm well familiar with sheepy grey (it’s everywhere on the Cape), though I'm usually inside, looking out from it, and yes, more white or brick red would punch it up. Same for that ochre yellow house with white trim.  Ocher yellow - definitely not my fav color, yet, used on these Norwegian homes, it suits its place – terroir.

His quick shot of the Bergen harbor (at 17:38 mins. in the above video), shows repeated elements and colors, from the buildings and their roofs below, just screaming to be another design.

Here's another. And another, even better.

Can anyone look at Nyhavn Harbor, in Copenhagen, and not see great colors which work well together? More design.

I actually want to pause at all the great shots, and take photos, to store away as design inspirations!

May sheep (even sheep’s grey fleeced-sheep!) safely graze.
Onward,
Dawn

Woolly DIY

 (Originally psoted on WP 11/5/21.)

In my latest attempt to expand the sizes of hand spun yarn I offer, I hand twisted 8, 100 gram hanks of the new-to-me US Rambouillet (French Merino) wool top. I hand felted 2 hanks, then thought that using the delicates cycle in the machine on the last 6 hanks would make the hanks look as good as Kate’s from Ashford, after they came out of the wool cycle on her machine.

But I was wrong. The hanks felted oddly, very well in some places, hardly at all in others.  So, once they were dry, I balled them up, and put them into a plastic lidded bucket (as all my fibers and handspun are stored), awaiting some inspiration for what to do with them.

Now, I’ve been aware of wool-filled bed pillows for awhile, as well as wool-filled comforters and here, but buying almost all these ready-made alternative/eco/non-mainstream products is outside the budget, so the idea goes into the DIY box.

Wool quilts are an easy thing to DIY, if one weaves or knits. I prefer wool blankets to quilts, anyway.

BTW, if you love all things wooly, do check out Clara Parkes’ new ‘The Wool Channel’. Here’s her post in June of 2021 on wool bedding.

Clara’s posts are making me think outside the usual wool boxes - as with the wool sponges  and wool PJ’s.

These wool sponges are made from felted wool batting, but I wonder how necessary that step is – am thinking of just garter stitch knitting a square with wool roving yarn, then throwing it into the washer and dryer – it would be a quick and easy experiment, to see if/how they worked. So, it’s on the To-Do List.

Now, those PJ’s are tugging at my purse strings – the fabric, warmth, comfort are all calling to me!

I’m no fan of flannel PJ’s - as the woven structure does not stretch. *Fleece* PJ”s are only warm in that they trap body heat and moisture, so after a while one becomes sweatily too warm.  Cotton stretch knit PJ’s are then what I’ve been wearing for many years - OK for summer, but not ideal for the colder seasons. LOL, but I am no impulse buyer. These wool PJ’s can tug at my purse all they want to, I can’t budge, and am not sure if i could even DIY this project for less cost (not likely).

But bed pillows are easy. They’re always getting worn out, then one is stuck with disposing of (or repurposing) the polyfill or memory foam bed pillow.

I have found that down pillows can last for decades (and I always wash and dry them in the machines), and when the feathers finally give up most of their fluffiness, I still repurpose them into throw pillows.

So, here I am with 2 memory foam bed pillows, one older than the other,

both have been surgically readjusted, but are now getting to that point of needing the seams opened up again and the filling repositioned. If you’ve done this as well, you know how memory foam bits stick to each other. It’s not just a matter of shaking the pillow around so the bits can resettle evenly - ha!

It’s too bad I never took pictures of what I had to originally DO to one of the pillows, before I could even use it. I had purchased it, lightly used, on Ebay, but everyone is scent-crazy these days, and we don’t tolerate scents. I sprayed it with unscented Febreeze, I aired it out on the line for weeks, nothing helped. I ended up opening one seam, pulling all of the memory foam bits out, soaking them in unscented detergent and vinegar, then maybe also a baking soda/water rinse, can’t remember – scent requires A LOT of effort to get removed. HINT: Please don’t use scented detergents, softeners, or fabric spray on clothing and linens!

These bits were then lain across a large old bed sheet on the basement floor, to dry, before becoming a pillow, again.

Although I will get to this chore, I detoured myself with the idea of turning my oddly-felted Rambouillet roving yarn into pillow filling.

The easiest way to do this seems to be by just cutting the yarn into 1-2” long snippets, then hand teasing the yarn into a loose mass. This last bit is not difficult, as the yarn wasn’t felted solid, whether done by machine or by hand – the fibers were just fulled enough to tighten the yarn structure.

This bowl is my largest, for making the Thanksgiving sage stuffing, which has been hubby’s favorite.

NOTE TO SELF: It’s been just the two of us for about 18 years – I really gotta retire this bowl. We don’t need two large trays of stuffing (as per the recipe).

It’s also the one I use for large batches of Martha’s stollen or Christmas cookies. So far, it is holding 100 grams of loosened up  Rambouillet fiber. I think I will prep 2 more balls of yarn into fluff, then stuff and seam up an old pillowcase, once I get the loft worked out.

Do check back to see how, or even IF! this Wooly DIY works out well.

Happy are those who play with wool,
Dawn