Equinox

Karabella Aurora 8 is a very special yarn, there are 8 strands of yarn wrapped around. It is a lovely yarn and I have enjoyed crochet with it for some time now. I wanted to create a pattern that use the yarn and here it is. This pattern uses two skeins of this yarn.Then again I wanted to see how flexible this pattern was and I used some fingering weight yarn. I needed to add a bit more yardage and the cap is a bit more cropped to the head than the one above. Still it is nice to wear, stretchy enough. I enjoyed making this pattern for two kinds of yarn. Special Thank You to Naomi for proofreading the pattern. It is for sale on Ravelry and soon it will be for sale on the side bar. Thanks for stopping by.

Handcarding Fiber

HandcardingFiber (4)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

I learning so much about spinning and hand carding. I a learning about blending. Here I have some rough looking fiber lol! I have silk and regulas sheep's wool, and I am learning about blending these together. When I first startted it was easy to make thick yarn, now I have to remember how to do it. So I have no purpose , but to practice spinning and hand carding. I am hoping to make some yarn so that I van make a nice bag. Well have to go and continue doing some more carding and spinning, thanks for stopping by!

Superbowl Sunday Roving

SuperbowlSundayRoving
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

This is some hand dyed roving that I was gifted by a wonderful lady friend, Caprica Six aka Caprica. Today on Ravelry I was accused of being sexist. This lady of course knows nothing about it. SHe complained that she about my sexist language on a man's hat design, she commented on my sexist pink and purple choices for women. In reality people, we are in the 21st Century you can wear any color you want, you can wear women's cloth, men's clothing, as long as you can buy it or wear it for that manner, lol.. What you can not do is Knit a crochet Hat, or crochet a knitted hat, it makes no sense.

I am hoping to have some nice yarn by the end of the superbowl, go SeaBucks! Shiba Rules. Thanks for stopping by.

East Coast Men Knitting Retreat 2010

This year I am going to reach the Half Century mark lol! As a present to myself I am going to meet the guys from the East Coast Men's Knitting Retreat. Some of them have visited us on the West Coast , but some I have never met. What is most important is that there will be crafting among the guys in a very positive atmosphere. There is so much talent and there is definitely a lot of fun. The East Coast Retreats have been set to be at Easton Mountain Retreat Center, Upstate New York from May 20 to May 23 , 2010. All guys are cordially invited to attend. You can send the guys to this website for more information MENS KNITTING RETREATS. Thanks for stopping by!

Dr. Phlox Batt

DrPhloxBatt (2)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

Well not the Bat he has on the Enterprise, but close enough in color. My dear Friend Naomi, got me into this gourp on Ravelry Desert Garden which they have Spin Alongs related to Series we like. Spin Long And Prosper is the motto from the Star Trek Spin Along. This batt represents Dr. Phlox it is Cotswold, nearmere and Carbonized Black Bamboo . I love it beacuse I had to go and research what all these things were. I can tell you that I will be spinning some sock quality yarn. nearmere is a cashmere like fabric made out of nylon, so it is perfect for socks, carbonized bamboo and wool, well that's a treat.

What I like is that I will learn about this fibers from the bottom up, how they behave as I spin them into yarn. Thanks Naomi Thanks Desert Garden farms on Ravelry and on and Desert Garden Farms on Etsy. Thanks for stopping by.

Drop Spindles, Is it for you?

Spindles are tools of the trade, and my first spindle was the one I got during the first Men Fall Knitting Retreat of 2008. I did not understand spinning well, maybe we just got teased with a short time. One thing was for sure, I wanted to learn more about making my own yarn with a spindle. Last year I really got more interested in spinning, but I did not want a wheel. Nothing stood in my way of taking a class with my friend Mike Wade aka WonderMike at A Verb for Keeping Warm Store in Berkeley. The class was fantastic, the class was beyond my expectations. It was two days and we got a lot for the money. Lot of students present and all where very successful at spinning. Having someone experienced teaching you how to spin is a different story. If you are curious , you should get a beginners class with a drop spindle that is inexpensive, but get one from the place you are getting the class. There is no need to get an expensive spindle, the main thing is that it is balanced, not price, and that you are comfortable with the weight of your spindle. This spindle above was very inexpensive and from EBay for about 8 dollars . It works great for the angora that it is spun and wrapped around the shaft. It is said that you can spin anything in any spindle, but only very experienced people can do that and just for a limited amount of time. Eventually you learn how to distribute the yarn on your spindle so that the center of gravity helps you in your spinning and not against it. Your spindle will drop for many reasons; too much twist, too little yarn, not enough twist and so on. This other spindle above, was painted for me and even though is not my favorite it is OK for spinning silk. A spindle can be a simple stick. Spindles have been around for thousands of years and it is in your genetic code , just give yourself some time to remember.

The spindle with the thumbtacks is an experiment. If you have followed my blog for a while you know I like to make stuff and play with scientific notions. When I got the spindle above it was a bottom whorl spindle. I have made the spindle able to spin from the top or from the bottom , by adding another hook on the other side as you can see. The weight makes it a bit heavier and does make it spin nicer in my opinion.

Above you find four spindles, Avi Wasserman on the far left, the the on the far left, one from EBay with flower decorations, and a Kundert Spindle on the right. My favorite spindle is the Avi, the second favorite is the Kundert. All these spindles spin differently, but you can tell what a balance spindle is by the way it spins continuously and evenly as possible. You may make a home made spindle that is the finest tool there is on the world without spending more that 5 dollars. Nevertheless is Spinning for you? You have to find out, I find that spinning is a very Zen experience where I am connecting with a primitive part of myself. Spinning allows me to create yarn, so that I can create cloth and thus a garment of my own making. Spinning helps me listen to myself. A great book and Video is what follows for you. I am still reading this book and I find it to be a great tool and a bit of and adventure.

These mittens are the perfect example of what I meant. I dyed the fleece or roving, then I spun the yarn, and I made these mittens. These pair of mittens are my first real spun yarn project and it has a lot of personal meaning to me. You need to practice at least 15 minutes everyday and not worry about the yarn too much. Your first yarns are going to be funky, later on you will wonder how to make yarn like the one you used to make at the beginning. Practice makes perfect and with time and patience you will be able to create beautiful yarn for you , your friends and for sale. Time will teach you how you already knew how to make yarn, just remember to listen to your ancestors, the one that made yarn with a stick and a stone for a whorl.

Abby Franquemont is someone who is out there and I like, there are others you can read about spinning from, each person will give you part of their experience. Abby made spinning to me real and something to be done daily and as part of my human heritage. The video Respect The Spindle from Interweave, now that it is High Definition, is a great tool to add to this book and it allows you to visually see this lady in action. I am hoping that this motivates you to give it a try. Thanks for stopping by.

Addi Crochet Hooks

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Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

I was not aware that the Addi Quality was being offered in crochet hooks. The other day I was browsing this site where I get most of my Addis, the http://www.addineedleshop.com/ and saw that the had these beauties. They are not really pretty in the sense of beauty, but they do have a crochet bauty that crocheters appreciate. It glides like a dream. Reasonably priced, these hooks crochet like a dream. I have two 3.75 mm and two 4.mm as these are the hooks I mostly use for my hats. Tools of the trade by Addi. Thanks for stopping by.

One Caprican Sock Done

Here is the end product of my first sock. I have to tell you that the more I knit , the more I learn about knitting and about how I knit. As I experienced decreases of two kinds, I leanred that not all decreases are the same lol. When you are doing an SSk if you slip the stitches as if to Knit, you get a beautiful decrease line. If you just slip them purlwise and knit through the back loop the decrease does not look as nice. If you are making just one decrease it makes no real difference, but when there is a sequence like in a sock, it makes a big difference.

The instep is shaped nice, it can be a bit tight , but it actually hugs the foot. It gives you and arch for foot support.

All in all this sock Pattern Oliver, is a great piece of work and I am hoping to make more socks with this pattern. I am hoping to master this pattern and have some brand new socks while joining the RavelOlympics. Sock number two will be started later on today, it will be very useful for my Monday Night Knit Group.Thanks for stopping by.

As Caprica's Heel Turn

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Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

This is a really handsome pattern. As it is getting shaped it is getting more beautiful. More photos will follow tomorrow as I am making the sole and shaping the instep. Thanks fors topping by.