Not So Fancy Nancy

I'll cry myself a river ... of blue kidsilk spray

October is shaping up to be a little busy around here. Getting a yellow Labrador puppy around Halloween, but I've got lots to learn so I'm busy reading. Taking the kids to Louisville, then I'm going to NYC/Rhinebeck from there. The week after we all go to Yosemite. Got another nerve root block for my back/leg yesterday. Life is good, hectic, occasionally painful (that last one) and full of anticipation. And dirty laundry. But I've got photos... or Yarn Porn according to some nice knitters on the Knitter's Review boards. Thanks for your emails and compliments.

This...

is becoming this:

Sorry this is a little blurry, the breeze and my oh-so-tired she just couldn't hold it still one second longer eight year old weren't cooperating. This drama just moments before two hours of water balloon fights and bike riding. Guess it gives it that watery effect. The colorway is called Medici and so far it's not pooling oddly. The River pattern from the latest Rowan Magazine is pretty easy so I don't need the book anymore, which makes it a bit more portable. I've added on another repeat since this was taken. You can join the fun over at Savannahchik's KAL.

A little Rowan Cashcotton goodness:

Which is on it's way to being a garment.

I've not gotten back to this in a few weeks because I need to concentrate on the shoulder shaping.

Sleeves should be straight forward, but then I still have that all-the-frickin'-way-around ruffle which I fear will go on forever.

I've still not cast on, but have picked the pattern for the first denim sweater: a cabled cardigan called Lizzie from the first Rowan Denim book. Not planning on knitting the tie - this will be a toss-it-on and relax cardigan.

Yes, those are my new Denise needles. Explored the west coast branch of Noble Knits a few weeks back and took Tess's enthusiastic recommendation. I like them so far. Great thing about crafting... a week or so later I was at the pattern tables in JoAnn's and there was Tess wearing an oh-so-chic felted Manos hat. We started chatting and suddenly a voice piped in from behind and there was a student from my former stamping class days who also liked Noble Knits and recognized Tess. We were joined by more customers and a pleasant hour and a half passed in crafty talk. All ages and backgrounds brought together by a love of creating things. It's good to get out sometimes.

What can I say? It's lovely and very soft. Elann's Peruvian Baby Silk. Her prices and very effective "get it while you can" sales strategy strikes again. Shawl probably.

This really falls in the "What can I say???" category! Was in a bad/funky mood and didn't want to touch yarn for fear of ruining something. Cutting up plastic bags proved very therapeutic. Mine isn't as tightly knit as Knight's from Simple Knits with a Twist, but I'm just having fun being soooo ironic with my bag made of bags to hold bags. Will hang it on the laundry room wall with poo/litter bags.

On a more traditional front, I pulled out this poor forlorn sock over the weekend and added on several inches while passing time at my nephew's birthday party. Cast on a good three years ago on two circulars and just didn't click with that technique. Transferred it to dp's last year, but then it got shoved back in the depths of my closet. Seems too beautiful to leave languishing forever doesn't it?

Btw, this is my 3 yr old's delicate foot, not my Cro-Magnon appendage.

The fabric passion continues:

The kitchy fun fabrics are for Christmas presents for my kids and niece. I think I'll look for some tweed to go with the French prints in the middle. The remaining on the right are just because. I really like this on-line only fabric store, Cia's Palette. She shipped on the day I ordered and everything came so perfectly folded and wrapped with a little sample cutting too. I'm so inspired by Jackie's cute bags that I'm itching to get the machine out again.

You can see from these photos that I've yet to get more than narrow stripes of sunlight anywhere in the house during the day. We get the most direct light in the winter when the sun moves south. Don't buy a house with perfect S/N orientation. The garage door gets the best light for most of the year and the back patio goes dark all winter - it's criminal from an architectural standpoint. We didn't buy the house, we grabbed the lot and said thank you. No choice about the house. Such is real estate in coastal North County San Diego.

I'll leave you with a recent photo of my angelic butterfly. Yeah, sure. Couldn't get her to pose facing the light. Oh no, that would be helping Mommy. Does this look like a sweet, helping expression? Total imp. Yarn is so much better behaved!

 

The Denim Swatch Off: Rowan Denim, Elann Den-M-Nit & the mystery cone

Bought 25 balls of this dark, dark Rowan Denim (color 225 Nashville) a couple of years ago, but I've been too intimidated to use it.

Would it be hard on my hands?

Would it stain my hands and clothes?

Would the fabric look good?

I want to make a classic fisherman's sweater, so I know there will be an investment of my time and energy, which I don't want to regret.

Then I bought the 2.5 lb cone of Light Indigo on EBay. It's a no-name honkin' big whack of denim yarn that the seller told me she bought from Elann way back when. Seems enough for another adult sweater.

Then, this past summer, Elann goes and brands their mill-direct yarn as Den-M-Nit. I bought enough in Mid Indigo to make a Miss Bea sweater for Emily.

So.... are they really all the same? They're all are made up of six twisted strands of over-dyed cotton with a white core.They spec 5 st/in (the cone has no specs). But, are they really the same gauge? I've seen the Rowan advertised with a 20% shrinkage and the Den-M-Nit with 10-15%. Will they shrink the same? (Can one type "shrinkage" without thinking of Seinfeld?)

How to answer these pressing questions?

Cast on 30 stitches onto 4 mm Addi Turbos (US #6).
Knit four rows garter.
Knit 39 rows st st with 3 stitch garter borders.
Knit 4 rows garter.
Cast off on wrong side row.
Repeat three times slam-bam-right-in-a-row:  same needles, same chair, same morning - all variables controlled as much as reasonable.
Measure swatches.
Count stitches and rows.
Wash warm & dry medium with jeans and khakis. (Included color-catcher sheet, which turned dark but no die transferred to clothes.)
Measure again.
Blog.

Pre-wash & Post-wash (l to r: Rowan, Den-M-Nit, Cone)

Pure luck that each one shrunk to a near perfect square! Pure dumb "that looks like a good number of rows, I think I'll cast off" luck. See, the knitting gods look after you when you swatch!

Rowan Denim

Manufacturer Specs:
93 m, 50 gr, 20 st/10 cm on 4 mm, 20% length shrinkage (est. % from The Knitting Garden)

Swatch:
Prewash 4x4" st st = 20.5 stitches x  28 rows
Prewash total st st area (24 st x 39 rows) = 4 5/8" x 5 5/8"
Postwash 4x4" st st = 20.5 x 34 rows
Postwash total st st area = 4 5/8" x 4 5/8"
Shrinkage = 17.8% of row height of st st area

Impressions: 
This one had the stiffest hand, but that didn't really affect knitting speed or comfort and I stopped noticing it quickly. This may just be because it has the most dye. It softened quite a bit in the first wash, but I can still id each of the three with my eyes closed.

The dye did slightly stain my fingers while knitting, but not my clothes. Washed off easily.

This photo shows the pre-wash yarn lying on the post-wash swatch. The two end yarns show how the core is exposed. The swatch is still very dark - this is in direct sun.

Overall, it's a beautiful fabric with a very even stitch.

Elann Den-M-Nit 

Manufacturer Specs:
92 m, 50 gr, 20 st/10 cm on 4 mm, 10-15% length shrinkage

Swatch:
Prewash 4x4" st st = 21 stitches x  28 rows
Prewash total st st area (24 st x 39 rows) = 4 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Postwash 4x4" st st = 21.5 x 34 rows
Postwash total st st area = 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"
Shrinkage = 18.2% of row height of st st area

Impressions: 
This one felt slightly thinner than the Rowan, which was realized in the stitch/inch count. Minor difference, but I'm not sure I'd combine this yarn with a Rowan Denim in the same pattern (was considering it for a Miss Bea pattern).

Almost no staining on my fingers with this color.

Again, this is also a beautiful fabric with a very even stitch.

Important to note how far off their shrinkage estimate is. Obviously, your mileage may vary, but I'd recommend a good swatching or you may end up with a too-short sweater.

No-name cone

Swatch:
Prewash 4x4" st st = 20 stitches x  27 rows
Prewash total st st area (24 st x 39 rows) = 4 5/8" x 5 3/4"
Postwash 4x4" st st = 20.5 x 34 rows
Postwash total st st area = 4 5/8" x 4 3/4"
Shrinkage = 17.4% of row height of st st area

Impressions: 
This one felt slightly thicker than the Rowan, which showed up in the stitch/inch count. It was also the softest of the three to knit. Again, minor differences, but I wouldn't combine this yarn with the others.

Almost no staining on my fingers with this color.

This is a nice fabric, but not quite as even as the other two. This one came the closest to the standard gauge of 20/4 in.

Here's all three again post-washing in natural light:

Sitting right here in front of me now they all look bluer. They definitely change tone with lamp vs natural light. The white core flecks look very natural in person -- just like jeans.

Final Analysis: 

These are three different yarns that perform the same way. I've wondered in the past if they were all the same yarn - rolling out of the same mill with three different presentations and labels, but the same fiber under the wrapper. Well, the three yarns I have are not the same. But the yarn companies change mills and the mills make changes. This Rowan is at least 3 years old, the cone is probably at least that old too, while the Den-M-Nit is recent vintage. Biggest take-away is do your own swatching and washing before CO and be careful when combining brands.

These details aside, I LOVE this yarn -- all three versions. Just think of it ... a wash-n-dry hand-knit sweater that improves with wear! Beginning to understand the passion for this yarn shown over at Mason-Dixon.

If you've read this far and think I'm obsessive and have way too much time on my hands. Well ... no. OK, I'm obsessive. But I don't create these posts in a calm world. This entry has been my touchstone, my little window of sanity and extreme order as chaos has reigned around me. Not a room in this house has been untouched by little marauding hands. Homework has been done RIGHT BEHIND MY HEAD. Battles have been waged RIGHT BEHIND MY HEAD. I am getting very good at remaining above the fray. Until I don't.

In which our Wench learns the True Meaning of Swatch

I've always swatched. Always. It's easy:  Knit about 5-10 rows, stretch it out on the circular cord, take a measure (give or take a stitch), then knit. Learned this technique at my mother's knee. Love ya Mom, but you know that's what you do!

Could this possibly, maybe be the reason I've knit about 4-5 inches of so many sweater backs, only to get that icky feeling that the thing is waaaay off? We all know the answer to this question, and some of us even act accordingly. Some of us. That group never included me until now.

This:

is becoming this:

Aren't they lovely? Not washed or blocked yet, but I feel like such a responsible citizen of the knitting community. I'm doing the full Knitter's Review thing here. Starting with a cast on of 6-8 stitches more than the expected count and garter stitching the borders. Trying multiple needle sizes where needed. Will wash, block, remeasure and note changes.

What brought about this sudden leap to knitterly maturity? Well, of course it's been in the back of my mind every time I make a half-assed swatch ... "Should do this correctly shouldn't I? ... Humm ... Oh well ... next time ..." You can see several of those dink swatches in that basket above. Yep, I'm so bad. I knit a couple of inches, take out the needles and throw it all back in the bag, so very sure that I'll remember what needles I used and what project I had in mind. (Actually, I do remember projects, but the details go out the window.)

This bad habit has been brought to an end by the convergence of desire and market forces. I want to make Kepler (PDF pattern link) and I'm probably toying with SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) even though I plan to live a long life! OK, maybe not SABLE, but certainly enough for the 05/06 winter season. I know it's just plain wrong to buy yarn unless I establish as fact that I don't have anything to gauge. (Loop-hole Queen am I)

And what about all those other just-a-gleam-in-this-knitter's-eye projects? All that yarn was purchased for something. And this is only about 1/2 of it. Swatching on a large scale is required.

Finally, this week has been very upsetting. My heart goes out to these people. Far too much time watching TV (deepening my distaste for TV journalism, although I admire most of the ground crews), so I've had time to knit. I didn't want to knit anything I would wear. Every piece of my knitting represents my life to me. It's time trapped in stitches. I don't want a Hurricane Katrina sweater. Swatching has worked for me.

Finished the bags. Very cute if I'm allowed to brag ... isn't that what blogs are for? Yes, the kid and the bags. I'd staged a still shot, but Miss Emmy wanted to model. Gotta love the shoes! Sorry the pic is a little dark. The sun was going down, but she really wanted to help. We've been together 24/7 for three weeks now and she's quite certain of her role as my helper.

The pink bag doesn't have it's firm-bottom insert yet (Where can I find one of those? Don't comment "the gym" or I will come find you), but otherwise they're done. They're pretty big, so my girls can fit all the necessary items for a sleepover or trip to Grandma's. On each bag there's another 6" or so of striped fabric above the circle print, which is gathered with ties, but they're both sunken down in this photo.

The sewing machine's in the shop now, so that's the last of sewing for a bit. The timing went off on the last button holes and caused great distress and much seam ripping. Just like knitting huh?

Oh, to those of you who think I sew neatly. No.

That last post only looked neat because I'd had to clean everything for the weekend. This how it looked while finishing.

Note the two completely unnecessary knitting baskets taking up prime real estate that I just kept working over and around. And the pile of scraps falling to the floor. You can't see the huge pile of snipped threads and loose pins to the machine's right. Actually, this looks pretty neat for me.

Thanks for the very nice comments on my last post. Sorry, but I dropped off in answering emails over these last weeks since I've had Emily home all day, every day. And Rachel's still "adjusting" to homework. I've adjusted her to no TV or friends over Monday -Thursday, but still the adjustment continues. For such a smart child she's a slow learner sometimes. Given all this mothering, I haven't had PC time. Next week pre-school starts and hopefully I will regain some balance.

I'll close the two things that have provided escape and refreshment this month:  The Outlander Series and Bubble Tea