Knitting Club

i finished adamas. it’s not blocked yet, but it felt good to get it off the needles. i used my handspun fingering weight so i only needed to work 11 repeats instead of 14 before it got on my nerves. i think it’s a good-sized shawl and it’s definitely gonna be bandit-licious. (i think that’s gonna be the first, last and only time i use that word.) i love the way it striped. i tried to get the colors to match up when i plied it, but i need a true lazy kate and not the one that’s onboard my spinning wheel. it’ll give me more even tension between the bobbins and it’ll come out a bit more matched, however, singles do what they want. i think the only way for you to get long color runs is to navajo-ply. i have to practice that more. it’s essentially chained singles, but mine always look too bumpy from the chains.

and i’ve been working on some other things….

sewing is becoming more and more a part of my craftiness. i’m not at quilt status yet. i think the amount of time you spend in preparation for the sewing is holding my startitis at bay in that area. if i’m buying needles because the size i’m looking for is stuck in a vest i haven’t touched in 3 months, think of the piles of cut fabric in odd shapes that will become part of the decor in my room. i’m sticking to bags for now, but the S.E.W.: Sew Everything Workshop book (Diana Rupp is the author) is a great start into other patterns. it feels like it’s the Stitch & Bitch for sewing. it’s informative and gives you a decent understanding of what you’re doing when you get the fabric and put the pedal to the floor. my friend vicky said i still need the Vogue Sewing book, but seriously that’s a given. i don’t have the Vogue Ultimate Knitting but i know it’ll be in my library within a month. so handbags and pillowcases and other flat items it is for a while. i do like the rule she mentioned and i’ll paraphrase it here: if you like a fabric but don’t know what to make with it, buy 3 yards and figure it out later. a designer after my own heart.