What's Hot! - UPDATE

UPDATE - See bold item below.

What's hot?  Well definitely the weather - stay cool and don't forget to hydrate!  But really I'm posting a reminder of some hot (or cool) fibre-related events going on that you may want to check out.

First off, this coming weekend (July 6 and 7, 9 to 4 each day) is the Truro Fibre Frolic at the Farm Equipment Museum in Truro.   Check out their Facebook page for more information and a list of vendors.

From Friday, July 13 to Sunday, July 15, at Memory Lane - 1940's Heritage Village Museum, share in the Women's Heritage Celebration with exhibits, workshops by local artists, demonstrations, and old fashioned tea social.  This year's theme is wooly!

On Saturday, July 28, from 10 to 4 PM, is the Cole Harbour Fibre Frolic at the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum.  You can check out the Facebook page for this event for more details.

From August 18 to the 25th, Sisterhood Fibres is also hosting "Woolstock - 8 days of fleece & sisterhood" in conjunction with Tata Fest in Tatamagouche.  Details are still being finalized so check the links and Facebook event pages often for updates.

For more information on other events happening in the area in the near future, check out my April blog post.   And please let me know if I've missed an event.

Also hot (off the press), Susan Guagliumi has a new book out entitled Open Spaces and I absolutely did order a copy as soon as she announced it, and plan to post a review in the near future.  If you have it and have tried, or plan to try, any of the techniques or projects, let us know in the comments!

Also in the comments, let us know what you're working on this summer.  Or what you'd like to learn, do or see.  Or maybe we'll run into each other at one of the events, even better!

Have a wonderful summer,

Nancy

The Baby Surprise Jacket

Once again, thanks are due to Judie for a new project inspiration!  This time I turn my attention to Elizabeth Zimmerman's hand knit pattern called the Baby Surprise Jacket, and the machine knit adaptation credited to Alethea Robinson which can be found here.

If you are a hand knitter, you likely are familiar with Elizabeth Zimmerman's work, but if you're not I would encourage you to look her up!  Her main design philosophy is one of understanding your knitting and not "blindly following" a pattern, which is certainly what we have been working on in this blog!  Some of her patterns are very traditional, but the ones I admire the most are the ones that employ unique construction techniques (like the Baby Surprise Jacket, hereafter in this post to be referred to as the BSJ) or instructions that are guidelines and learning opportunities, not necessarily row-by-row instructions.

As an example of this, one of the first Zimmerman designs I tackled, many years ago, was her Pi Shawl.  It is still one of my top ten fun projects that I have ever knit, because you can decide as you go what you want to do.  Interweave published a great article a few years ago on it that you may want to check out here. 

Another example of her unique construction techniques is her pattern for her Sideways Mystery Mittens.  Even if you find them a bit odd looking, the construction is fascinating and opens the door (and mind) to other non-traditional construction techniques which could also be adapted to machine knitting.  I have the Schoolhouse Press DVDs "Knitting Workshop" and "A Knitting Glossary" and if you can get your hands on either or both of those through the library, a friend, or the website I highly recommend them.  In one of those she talks about the inspiration behind her pattern for the Bog Jacket, and why its construction method is of specific interest to weavers because of the minimal waste of any fabric as it comes off the loom.  For a little history on the bog jackets in general you can go to this link.

As I was looking into trying to find the hand knitting pattern for the BSJ, I saw that Zimmerman's grandson has published a book entitled The Complete Surprise which expands on the BSJ to include information on how to make many modifications, including custom sizing to make an Adult Surprise jacket, or using the mitering technique to construct other types of garments including a bolero, a scarf, a bonnet, and a baby snuggle suit, to name a few.

So here is my first kick at the can, using Premiere Yarns "Candy Shop", a self striping 100% acrylic yarn.

This takes no time at all to knit up, and the fun starts in deciding how to finish it - what type of ribbing to add to the bottom and cuffs (if any), and what to do around the neck and front opening, etc.  The body of the sweater itself employs short rowing as you can see by the triangle cutouts in the schematic above.  Everything else is up to you - yarn, gauge, how to cast on, how to cast off, and how to embellish.  I encourage you to check out the Ravelry group devoted to this project, the Wiki they have created that has a wealth of information, and also Roberta Rose Kelley's YouTube video on the BSJ. 

The ingenuity of Elizabeth Zimmerman was extraordinary and her patterns and construction methods are timeless.

Nancy

Spring Cleaning

I have a two new events to add to my list from my previous post "What's Going On" (thank you to Lynne and Margaret for the information!).  Knitters' Day, will be held on Saturday, June 9, at the Hooked Rug Museum of North America.  You can visit their website for more information.  June 9th is World Wide Knit in Public Day so celebrate the craft by letting your knitting flag fly! 

Spring Clean Your Knitting Machine will be happening at the Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library on Thursday, April 26, from 5 to 8 PM.   Here is the description from Lynne:

We plan to start at 5pm and finish at 8pm but if you are interested but can’t make it that early just come when you can.

We will show you how to take the needles and sponge bar out of your machine, what supplies you need and how to clean and lubricate the machine, and how to put it back together again.

We’ll bring a vacuum cleaner, brush, fine steel wool, paper towels, and machine oil (I have a small amount of oil for sale if you don’t have any - but  I need to know well in advance if you need to purchase this). 

You need to bring your machine; two wide mouth jars suitable for holding 100 needles each  (pickle jars work great); soft rags (t-shirts are perfect); an old toothbrush; a small container of oil (usually comes with your machine); and two bottles of rubbing alcohol (available at most Dollar Stores).

We need you to pre-register (just send me a quick e-mail) so we know what supplies to bring and how many tables to set up. And we’ll have a Toonie Jar to help cover supplies.

We promise your knitting machine will sing when you take it home.

Leave a comment below if you are interested in attending, or check out the Sheep's Clothing Facebook page to find the event.

All this talk of knitting and spring and cleaning inspired me to pull out a new-to-me machine that I bought about a year ago and give it a good cleaning and inspection.  The machine is a Singer MK70, purchased so that I can have a machine that is portable for just these types of events.  If you're not familiar with this machine, it's a 6.0 mm punch card machine that folds up to about the size of a portable sewing machine.  Here is what it looks like in its case.

One of the side buckles that holds the case to the bottom of the machine bed is broken, hence the patriotic luggage strap on the left side.  Here is what it looks like with the cover off.

Pretty nifty isn't it?  The two ends of the bed fold down and slide/click in place.  The clear plastic "bucket" holds accessories and tools, and the carriage sinker plate folds down and locks into place.  The yarn tension mast unfolds.  If you're interested here is a YouTube video from the Woolen Diva showing the unpacking of this machine.

Since I bought this knitting machine specifically so that I would have a portable option for group get-togethers, I decided that it would be quite helpful to purchase a small hand truck as well that could hold yarn, projects, books and more accessories as well as carry the machine easily for me.  Here is what I purchased - all I need is another luggage strap to secure the machine to the handle and I'm fully mobile!

Back to the cleaning, however.  I assembled my supplies as pictured below.

More supplies than necessary as it turned out, but here's the list:

1. Coffee
2. foam tipped cleaning swabs, and smaller foam tipped cosmetic applicators
3. Lori-Lin knitting machine lube spray (apparently no longer available?)
4. Unique sewing machine oil
5. mason jar
6. isopropyl alcohol
7. dollar store plastic table cloth in a fashionable floral print
8. paper towel
9. shark hand held vacuum
10. soft rags/cloths

I have to say, when I unpacked this machine I was surprised at how clean it was already.  I don't think it was ever used much.

No yarn entwined under the brushes, everything moving that should be and not moving if it shouldn't.  So really all the carriage required was a wipe off and fresh application of oil.

Another thing worth noting about this machine is that there is no sponge bar (presumably because the bed folds), so instead there are little plastic pieces in the needle track that serve to tension the needles as they move back and forth.  

So I proceeded to remove and inspect the needles and set them up for a good day's soak in the mason jar in a bath of isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of sewing machine oil, like so:

It's hard to see in the picture above, but the alcohol mixture is a couple of inches deep, so the needles aren't fully immersed, but every time I walked by the jar throughout the day I gave it a shake and a roll.  After a day in the bath, the grime was evident in the alcohol solution so I knew it was doing its job!

I used the foam tipped swabs to clean out the needle channels and other hard to get places on the machine bed and carriage, and my cloth rag to give everything a good all over wipe down.

And that's really all that needed to be done.  I'm looking forward to using this machine and learning about knitting with a punch card - I've never done that before.

Hopefully you're able to take in the machine cleaning event on the 26th!  And at least some of the other events listed in the last post.

Nancy

What's Going On

UPDATED AUGUST 30, 2018 - SEE BELOW

As promised, here is a list of fibre-related events happening in the Maritime provinces this year that I know of, but please let me know if there are more!  In date order:

April 6, 7 and 8, Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat, Atlantica Oak Island Resort & Conference Centre.  As you can see this is happening tomorrow and I believe is fully booked, but keep it in mind for the future.  No website that I can find but they do have a Facebook page.

April 14, Fundy Fibre Artisans Spring Fling, Picadilly, NB.  A one day event hosted by the Fundy Fibre Arisans.

July 6 and 7, Truro Fibre Frolic, Farm Equipment Museum, Truro, NS.  For more information check out the Truro Fibre Frolic Facebook page.

July 13, 14, and 15, Salty Socks Workshop, Hooked Rug Museum of North America, Hubbards, NS.  This is a cranking and machine knitting workshop/retreat sponsored by Shirley Baxter Knits.   For more information go to Shirley's website or the Salty Socks Workshop event page on Facebook.

September 28 - 29, 2018 Maritime Machine Knitters Seminar, Rodd Royalty Inn, Charlottetown, PEI.  This year's seminar is being hosted by the Island Knitters Club and Diana Sullivan is this year's demonstrator.  For more information go to Glen Valley Custom Knits website and for more information on Diana Sullivan you can visit her website and YouTube channel - links are in the sidebar of this page.

September 30, Follow the Yellow Balloons Creative Event Tour, Eastern Shore, NS.  Open studio tour of the Eastern Shore.  For more information check their website and Facebook page.  Event cancelled.

October 5 - 13, Celtic Colours International Festival, Cape Breton Island, NS.  I'm not even going to try to describe this.  Go to the website - it's an amazing festival of everything - music, dance, art and craft.

October 9 - 13, Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival, Amherst, NS.  Check out their web page and Facebook page for more information.

October 27,  Fibre Art Retreat, The Old School Community Gathering Place, Musquodoboit Harbour, NS.  Watch the website for more information as this event is still in the planning and organizing stages.

Nancy

Loose Ends

I just couldn't leave it undone - it was a loose end, a job half done, a "noncompletion" as the online thesaurus suggested.   So I made the Kohi Shawl, and I'm very pleased with it, and with myself, truth be told, for tending to that final loose end of the Shawl in a Ball series.   Here it is!

I still have to block this (and literally weave in a couple of loose ends as you can see), but you might be able to get a sense of the unblocked size from the red rocking chair rocker peaking into my shot in the top left hand corner.  As with hand knit lace, once a piece is blocked it can grow quite a bit, but even if it's only a bit I'm quite happy with the size.  In case you're interested, the cast on was 12 stitches, so the narrow point to the left of this photo, the straight edge is the top edge, the increase edge is the bottom diagonal edge, and the cast off is the edge to the right on the photo.  The colour on this one is called "Soothing Blue".   Here's an "in progress" picture to give you an idea.

I think the purl side of this lace is just as pretty as the knit side.  And yes, that is a chart (done on Excel) in the background, but honestly once I got a rhythm going I really didn't need to look at it. 

It is so gratifying to be able to take a hand knit pattern and convert it to machine knit and pick up new skills along the way, and it is great fun to share the progress on this blog.  If you try it yourself please leave a comment or question in the comments below, or send me a photo to share in a future blog post.  I'm happy to help or just to cheer you on.

And speaking of sharing (and inspiration, and cheering), I'm gathering an already impressive list of fibre and machine knitting related events in the Maritimes this summer and fall which I will detail in my next blog post, so watch for that in the next few days and get ready to save some dates!

Nancy

Shawl in a Ball LIVE Round Up

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to newly and awesomely renovated Musquodoboit Harbour Public Library for our Shawl in a Ball LIVE workshop.  We had familiar faces along with new faces, and we also had library patrons wander in to see what we were up to!  I always find it inspiring to spend time with such a creative group of people.

We'd love to have a few of these workshops scattered throughout the year, so watch this space regularly, and let us know in the comments below if you have any ideas for things we could cover in a future get together.

And speaking of workshops, The Island (PEI) Knitters Club has announced the 2018 Maritime Machine Knitters Seminar.  This year's seminar will be held at the Rodd Royalty Inn in Charlottetown on the 28th and 29th of September.  Diana Sullivan of Austin, Texas, will be this year's demonstrator.  If you are not familiar with Diana, there is a link to her blog, Diana Natters On About Machine Knitting to the right on our blog page.  She has a very extensive collection of videos on her YouTube channel that I highly recommend.  For more information on the seminar and how to register, please visit the information page on the Glen Valley Knits website.

Finally, a little "Knitting in the News" - for those of you who might be fans of Marvel Comics, the recent blockbuster movie "Black Panther" has the knitting world buzzing.  Check out "Nakia's Infinity Scarf" on Ravely, a free pattern in both machine and hand knit made available by the costume designer himself, Jeff Gillies, and also check out this BuzzFeed article on the movie and the shawl.

Nancy

#experiknitting

One of the blogs that I follow, here, has a recent discussion on the process of designing a knit fabric, and they use the term "experiknitting".  I think that is a clever word mashup that definitely applies to what we're doing here.  I've also been playing around with Instagram lately and so I decided to see if that is a hashtag being used there and indeed it is (that and #experiknit, and many more!).  If you're on Instagram check it out - there's a lot of knitting going on over there.

My most recent experiknit is the waves of wheat lace used in the Kohi Shawl, which I have written about in several previous posts.  When I left you last, I had finally figured out how to translate that lace pattern from hand to machine knit, and decided that I would forego the triangular shape for a rectangle.  Here it is:

I cast on 69 stitches, and was able to get 290 rows out of the ball, which translated into a wrap that measures about 56" long by 16" wide.  I absolutely love this colourway (Restful Rainbow).  If you look closely at the picture though, at the bottom you may notice that there are a few rows of orange that aren't where they belong.  This is my third ball with this yarn, and the first one that had a knot, where a colour completely out of sequence was tied on.  Lynne has experienced this with several balls and was able to exchange them at Michael's.  Since this one was at the end I will probably just take out those rows and cast off before the yarn break.

So here's a close up of the lace pattern:

If you want to do this project, it is a lot of hand manipulation of course, but to me it was worth it, and still much faster than hand knitting it.  I think the lace pattern works really well with the colours, and you can get into a pretty good rhythm that carries you across the row in no time.  I decided not to do any edging at all for two reasons - the first being that I didn't want to do anything that would fight against the natural zig and zag of the edge.  Secondly, whatever edging I might have picked would pretty much have to be done "as you go" in order to ensure that the edging was the same colour as the body of the wrap.  Doing something after the fact would, in my mind, interrupt the gradual flow of the colours from one to the other.

A fringe at the top and bottom would be nice, but fringe takes a fair bit of yarn and would certainly shorten the body of the wrap, although you could argue it adds at least that much length (or maybe more) visually.  But thinking of the colour again, in my opinion the best way to fringe it would be to save enough yarn at the beginning of the ball so that you can fringe the cast on edge with yarn of the same colour, and then stop short in time to save enough yarn at the end of the ball to fringe the bound off edge.  I didn't come up with that thought until I was about half way through the wrap, so it was too late to save fringing yarn at the beginning of the ball.

I still have a couple of balls of the yarn, and I may try this lace again in a triangular shawl closer to the original Kohi pattern.  If I do of course I will post about it.  In the meantime, don't forget about our Shawl in a Ball LIVE workshop at the library this coming Saturday, March 10, 2018.  Let us know if you plan to attend.  And even if you can't, if you're working on a shawl on your own, or another project that you'd like to share, let us know in the comments!

And lastly, congratulations to the Metro Machine Knitting Guild on their new meeting space at Michael's in Dartmouth Crossing.  Their next meeting is this coming Thursday, March 8, from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Nancy