Wander the Web 10

RippedYarn.jpg

Once ripped, the re-knitting of this tangled yarn pile has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. At least garter stitch makes it easy to read and knit at the same time. I’m rarely so caught up on my RSS feeds as I have been these last few days. Next up, that backlog of ebooks. 

Finding Freedom and Writing Memoirs with Meg Warden (via Rowdy Kittens)

Nuance AKA dancing with light. 

Ever wonder about different ways to finish handspun? This “Finishing Yarn” post on the Knitty Blog samples 5 different methods.

INeedAPrompt.com has churned out some interesting writing prompts. My favorites so far are “A fearless rabbit on the International Space Station,” and “A blushing octopus in the morning.” It’s customizable and good for a laugh even if you don’t have writer’s block. 

After watching this video about making multiple pom-poms at the same time, I have pom-poms on the brain. Won’t be able to resist much longer. (via All Untangled)

While we’re on the subject of pom-poms, make a giant one in 60 seconds. (also via All Untangled) 

I would have loved to live in this tiny house during college.

Wander the Web 6: Link Love Edition

Once again joining up with Crafty Pod and Link Love to share goodness from across the web. This week’s theme stays close to home and focuses on the most popular posts from yours truly. When I first read through the schedule several weeks ago, it got me thinking about how I haven’t made many tutorials in the past few months. That had to change so I started brainstorming and writing and photographing and editing. In the past two weeks I’ve managed to post two tutorials, How to Ply Leftover Singles and How to Clean Dye Off Spindles, and have a few more in the works. 

While I’m working on the new stuff, check out my most popular tutorials.

ButtonTutorial2.jpg

How To Sew On A Button With Yarn - Can’t find matching thread? Use yarn from your knitting or crochet project to sew on buttons without extra bulk. 

KumihimoBraid.jpg

Kumihimo Tutorial: Part One and Part Two - A step-by-step tutorial for making a round kumihimo braid complete with clasp.

PlyingOrigami.jpg

Origami For Plying - Learn how to fold a simple origami star to help ply yarn off a spindle.

AfterthoughtHeel.jpg

How to Knit Afterthought Heels - A how-to and tips for knitting afterthought heels that won’t suffer from gaps or require picking up stitches. Bring your scissors!

Make A Bow Label.jpg

Make a Bow Gift Tags - Use leftover yarn and bits of cardstock to make care labels and tags for knitted and crocheted gifts. 

Always Leave Room in the Car for Yarn

GrandCanyonYarn2.jpg

I’m always on the lookout for yarn. It’s just a subprocess that’s always running in my brain and I don’t bother trying to shut it down anymore. Just means that I find yarn in all the right and sometimes unexpected places, like on the way to the Grand Canyon. During our visit, the Bearded One and I took the slightly longer route to the Canyon through The Painted Dessert, The Kaibab National Forest, and the Navajo Nation. The national parks were desolate but once we entered the Nation, houses and road side shops and stands popped up frequently. At the Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise there was a wall full of Brown Sheep yarn. They had just about every color you could think of in wool/mohair single and I was not immune. I blame yarn fumes and several cramped days in the car. We found space in the back seat and headed on our way several skeins heavier. I’m still not sure what I’ll make with yarn but it’ll tell me eventually. 

Moral of the Story: Always leave room for yarn in the car. You never know where you’ll find a few skeins to take home with you.

GrandCanyonYarn1.jpg

Ready for Tour de Fleece 2013?

TourDeFleece2013.jpg

Tour de Fleece is a fun and ever growing spin-along that runs every year alongside the Tour de France. Doesn’t matter if you’re new to spinning or have miles of your own handspun stashed away, you can participate. You could even use the Tour de Fleece as a reason to learn how to spin yarn if you’ve been too afraid to start. Both Tours start tomorrow, June 29, and finish on July 21. The guidelines are simple. Every day that the tour rides, spin yarn. When the cyclists rest, take a break too. Most importantly, challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to ride right out of your comfort zone. 

One of the great things about Tour de Fleece is that you don’t have to go it alone. You can join a team and show off your successes as well as ask for help. There are tons of groups and teams on Ravelry and elsewhere dedicated to Tour de Fleece. The main Ravelry group is Tour de Fleece which is very active with over 6,000 members. 

Don’t worry if you don’t have a wheel. Spindles are wonderful, productive tools in their own right. I’ll be using them to spin all of my yarn again this year. 

I still haven’t picked my spinning goals for this year’s Tour but there’s still one more night to decide. Should be just enough time, right? Are you participating? What are your goals for this year?

Make A Bow

Despite what all those posts about spinning might have told you, I do still knit. Some of is secret, some of it for commission, and some of it I just haven’t gotten around to photographing yet. These two little Saplings fall into the commission pile. Now that they’re finished and delivered I can show these off. 

I used my favorite yarn for baby hats, Elsebeth Lavold Cool Wool, which is a soft worsted weight wool cotton blend and great for spring time southern weather. It has wonderful stitch definition, holds it’s shape, and is machine washable. It does have a smaller gauge than recommended in the pattern though so I had to work the larger size to get a nicely sized and stretchy hat.

Since the hats were going to be a gift, a little tag with fiber content and care instructions was in order. Anything worth doing, is worth doing well. So, I wanted the tag to match the hat and share a theme. A cute little bow made from the same yarn as the hat fit the bill wonderfully.   

      Materials

  • 2x4” piece of card stock (I used kraft paper)
  • 4-6” length of leftover yarn used to make the gift
  • Tapestry needle
  • 1/8” hole punch
  • Pen
  1. Using the hole punch, make 2 holes in the card stock a half inch apart and a half inch from the top.
  2. Under the holes, write the recipient’s name (I left this part blank), the fiber content, and care instructions underneath. 
  3. Thread the yarn though the needle and push it through the holes so that both ends are hanging on the same side as the writing.
  4. Tie a bow. Done!