Fiber Fool

I finished the singles last night! That last bobbin I managed to do in just two days - the speed I had hoped to do all along. I found the secret to my hand cramping problems. These bobbins should be plied up by the end of the day.

Meanwhile, I’m plugging away at the next step in the Norwegian Boatneck and will probably do some swatching for some other design projects.

I’ll share more about my hand cramping solution next week. Later this week DH and I will be taking some time for a belated anniversary celebration so I may use auto-post once or twice, but otherwise I will be absent. I think it is going to be hard for me to take time off with deadlines looming, but I know it will be good for me. I’ve been working non-stop for almost three weeks now.

Tomorrow? The next post in the color series! Finally!

Purchase for $7.50 from the Designedly, Kristi Fiber Shop!
See the Pattern Info On Ravelry Here!

My landmark 5000th shot occurred last Monday while having a photo shoot for my latest pattern design. Those of you who asked about the hat that cutie was wearing, here it is! It is the Archimedes. In that photo and the one at left is the unisex ribbed version without the beret blocking. In the top photo, both the lace and ribbed versions were blocked over plates to create the beret shape. Both have the optional 3-stitch i-cord bind off around the band, a treatment that is recommended if the wearer lands on the smaller end of one of the five sizes.

All three versions of Archimedes have crowns adorned with a spiral pattern created by ribbing or eyelets in honor of scientist and mathematician. They are knit from the top down with either 2 circular needles or 4 double pointed needles. There are several crown and band options included so the hat can be different each time you knit it.

Knit from fingering weight yarn, the beret versions have a nice drape. Most of the sizes take significantly less than a 100 gm skein of sock yarn, in some cases even less than 50 gm. For an even lighter weight beret, knit from a mohair blend yarn like Kidsilk Haze. The cream version was knit from 15 gm of Kidsilk Haze! It is featherlight, yet still nice and warm. The red beret was knit with less than a skein of Colinette Jitterbug. The two infant versions were knit using Brown Sheep Wildfoote and both took significantly less than a 50 gm skein.

For the beret version I recommended the lighter sock yarns - Trekking XXL and Pro Natura, Lorna’s Laces and Lang Jawoll for example. You could even try a single or doubled lace weight! Mid weight sock yarns work well for either version. For the hat version I recommend either heavier sock yarns or very elastic ones such as Koigu, Louet Gems, and the Jitterbug. If the yarn is very elastic it will loose the beret shaping over time. The pattern is quite versatile and the gauge to be most concerned about is the band and your head measurement. The band does have a tendency to stretch after blocking so I recommend knitting the band to be about 20% (or more) less than your head circumference.

Many thanks go out to Amanda and Ashley who test knit the pattern for me and served as very patient models. Ten month old, Isaac, also modeled the infant version. Thanks guys!

I ran across this at il Bloggo who got the idea from A Little Imagination and Pile of Junk… In summary, it is a list of things you are currently into. It was originally to aid in gift giving. I thought it an interesting exercise.

fibers and yarn; clogs; plum butter; orange hues; nutmeg; dark chocolate; muddied green hues; fun socks; baking; photography; creativity; music with rich vocal harmonies; singing; high contrast color combos; grapefruit scent; vintage fabric; Charles Rennie Mackintosh; learning new things; cozy mysteries; stranded colorwork knitting; molasses; tea and coffee; scent of jasmine; love; sushi; all things Swedish; all things pumpkin flavored; knee highs; vintage buttons; guitar heavy music; craftsman era; mixed CDs; gardening; deep and rich plum hues; knitting lace and cables; pewter buttons and clasps; lime flavor and scent; spinning fingering weight yarns; bubble baths; piano heavy music; cardamom; Willa Cather novels; being challenged; basil; peace; cinnamon; candles;

I’ve been struggling with getting the singles fine enough for the yarn I was hoping for. When I do get it as fine as I want my left hand cramps up because I’m having to put so much pressure on the single to keep the twist out of the drafting zone. Anyone have any theories on why I seem to require a death grip on my forward hand??

To break up the spinning I’m doing some knitting as well. Like several of you have noted, having a project that hits critical stages quickly and can be completed relatively quickly can be very important to one’s mental health. So, I cast on for a Charlie’s Wiggle Sock from the new Bordhi sock book. I have a baby beret (more on that, probably Friday) knit out of this same yarn ready to give to one of the owners of the coffeeshop where we gather to knit on Monday nights. Seeing as how one of the gals is knitting a sweater and another is knitting a mom and baby hat I thought a little matching pair of socks might be a nice addition. It’s low pressure, but does allow me to familiarize myself with yet another new construction technique with minimal time and yarn output.

I have to say, the sock is adorable! I am knitting it at a much tighter gauge than called for, so I knit the largest size and I think it is probably more newborn size. But, that works well seeing as how the baby is due in early November! Newborn socks will be required for a fall baby!

Well, I’m a tad behind where I should be today according to my plan. But, bobbin one is done! I definitely heeded advice and took frequent breaks and made sure to drink and eat over the weekend. Much of the spinning was hastened along with the aid of many of the fall programs on the DVR too :-) That, plus several scary movies - thriller scary, not slasher scary.

I did find it helpful to not just give my hands a rest after spinning, but to give them work to do that was quite different was very beneficial. The best post-spinning activity for my hands I found to be piano, with computing/typing to be just behind it.

I am struggling a bit though. I have all these things that need moving forward on. In the last year or so I started to find I did well to pick one thing and give it mostly undivided attention until it was complete. Right now, I have a few things that are either near completion or near a new stage if I could just devote a little bit of time to them. But I feel the fastest approaching deadline putting pressure on me to complete that item.

Physically, it is a good thing to have different projects to work on because I can work different muscles with each. However, it is wearing me down mentally because I’m not seeing the progress I’d like to be seeing on any of the things. Should I be monogamous and work on design stuff while giving my hands a break from the spinning, or should I wrap up that hat pattern, or should I start swatching for the other design project, or should I get knitting on the Norwegian Boatneck sweater? I just don’t know what direction to go.

How do you deal with multiple deadlines in somewhat near proximity? Are you a process or product crafter? I think I’m more product than process and when designing for others product is definitely the goal so that intensifies that inclination.