Stash Dash Start

The Knit Girlll's Stash Dash has begun! 

All details can be found in their Ravelry group.

Remember my goal?
I'm aiming to knit and spin 5000 meters of yarn from my stash from now until the end August 14th. It's a lofty goal, but I enjoy the challenge.

I thought of being monogamous to one project at a time, to make speedy process, but then I realized that doesn't work for me. I have the kind of job where I have time to knit in between "the battles", but I haven't got the time to untangle myself from a big sweater in the lap, or the concentration to read a pattern while I'm waiting. Socks are perfect for work-knitting, so parallel-knitting it is.

I'll be documenting my progress here on the blog too, but I'll mainly be active in the Ravelry group's Stash Dash thread. Why don't you join us?

Sharing: EXPLORE ADA - Dawn Riden: Fiber Artist

I want to share this video that I found on Dawning Dreams blog. It puts words to all my feelings about fiber arts, and it was so pleasant to watch.

Three Waters Farms Top Of The Month Club - May!

I got my first shipment of the Top Of The Month Club today, for the month of May. I normally get the packages in my mailbox, but when we returned from Lisbon on Saturday our mailbox was stuffed! The mailman must be skilled at Tetris, because there was not an inch in our box that wasn't filled with letters or packages. So I stopped by the postoffice today and got my club fiber. Let me present to you, Spring In My Heart: 

I love it! Spring was well on the way in Lisbon, and even though it has started here in Norway, it's been a couple rainy, gloomy days. I needed this injection of spring-color.

I've already started spinning it. I chose to split the top in three pieces, so the colors were like they had been in the pot together, if that makes sense. Then I split each of these three lengthwise into four pieces. So I've got twelve stripes to spin now.

I bundle them up while they're waiting to be spun. I want to get the stripes to repeat, so I'm making mini-skeins out of these. Each bundle will become one single, and then I'll 2-ply them into 6 small skeins. I'm thinking these will become finger less mittens during Stash Dash. 

3 Favorites - Week 4

Ravelry
"Ravelry is a community site, an organizational tool, and a yarn & pattern database for knitters and crocheters."
I can't say it any better myself. It's free to join and essential if you want to take part in the knitting and crochething world online. There are also innumerable groups you can join to find exactly those people you share interests with.

Etsy
"Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods."
I use Etsy a lot. This is where indie crafters can share and sell their unique items. This is where I buy all my dyed fiber, home goods like tea towels, and unique gifts for my friends and family. I love creative people, and want to support them the best way I can; by buying their products.

WritingForums
This is the biggest and most active writing forum I've found for writing interested people. They have a nice setup of rules for when you can receive criticism on your work, and you need to be active in order to take advantage of this. I enjoy that, it forces people to give before they get. It also creates a way more alive community, which is the whole point of a forum. If you're interested in writing you should check this forum out,

Dyeing wool

I love dyeing wool. There is a childish pleasure over playing with colors, mixing colors that usually wouldn't go together, in a big pot, and getting a smashing result out of it. Sometimes I don't like the braid, but after it's spun up, I'll love the yarn. It changes so much throughout the process.

Apart from dying with onion skin, I've only ever tried Jacquard Acid Dyes. The acid is used to set the dye in the wool, and in this process it's white vinegar. Gloves, goggles and good ventilation recommended (though I usually skim on the first two, since I like being hands on and I'm already wearing glasses in order to see anything at all.) Even if the process is fairly safe, I have special pots for the dye that I never ever cook food in. These are just old pots bought at a second-hand store for close to nothing.

I'm not very careful with the amounts of anything. I don't measure up grams of dye, the amount of water or vinegar. I could definitely be more accurate, but it takes some of the fun out of it for me. I never go back and dye the same colorway anyways. If I was to do that I would need accurate measurements.

I also experiment on whether I put the vinegar in right away or later. It depends on how much I want the color to soak into the wool before it's permanent, and how even I want the result to be. The rule of thumb is: Vinegar will make the color set immediately. If put in first the color won't have time to coat the wool evenly. If the wool is allowed to soak in the dye for a few hours first, before vinegar is added, you will get a more even result. If that makes sense?

Anyways, this dye is great in my opinion, and can be bought from a huge range of places. I always buy mine from Spinnvilt, which is a great option if you're in Norway (they do international shipping as well and they've got great customer service). I've also seen this dye on E-bay and Amazon.

Natural dying is a process I'm interested in, but I've got minimal experience. I've dyed with onion skin a few times, and we always put our onion skins in a bag in the kitchen cabinet so that I can use it at a later date. Onion skin will give an earthy orange tone on the wool, and it's very wash proof.

3 Favorites - Week 3

My three favorites this week are all related to my wish to travel. It's spring, it's been a while since I've left my nest and I'm feeling hungry for new inspiration. These two places are my favorites, and the third is my favorite thing to look for in a new city.

Image by _dChris

London, England

Image by Bosc d'Anjou

Lisbon, Portugal

Image by Mr.TinDC

Yarn stores

The Process of Wool

Left: Picking locks of wool into clouds.                                        Right: Bamboo and Mohair to be mixed in with the wool.

I washed this wool 2 years ago. It's been living in an IKEA-box under our bed since it was dry enough to go in there, just waiting for me to get to it. This week I had two night shifts, that promised to be quiet enough to get some wool picking done.

Wool picking is the process before it goes in the carding machine. Some wool is already fluffy enough to go straight in, but not this one. Firstly because it was the first wool I ever washed, so I was a bit hard on it and it felted in places. Secondly because this wool was not sorted, nor was the sheep wearing coats, so there's plenty of second cuts and vegetable matter. Wool picking is opening the locks up, so they resemble fluffy clouds.

After I had picked the entire box, and tricked my husband into helping me with it, I carded the wool. I own a Louët Drum Carder Standard, which is wonderful to work with. After running about 50 grams of wool through once, I mixed in some other fibers, like bamboo, firestar, mohair and nylon, making sure to measure up what I used for each batt and writing it down. Some of the batts I ran through the drum carder 3 times, others up to 6 times, depending on how blended I wanted the fibers to be.

These are 3 batts of 50g each, after the first run through the carder.

Now I've got a box full of finished carded batts under the bed instead of raw wool, ready to be dyed or spun when I feel like it.

The Knit Girllls Stash Dash 2015

The Knit Girllls' Stash Dash 2015 is starting May 22nd and lasts till August 14th.
If you're not familiar with The Knit Girlll's, I can tell you that it's a video podcast by Leslie and Laura that is most amusing to watch. It's like being in a knit group every week. 
They've got a thriving group on Ravelry, and this is where Stash Dash is happening. To quote what it is: "This isn’t a contest - it’s a group event to knock down some of our accrued stash." 
Each person sets a goal of how many thousand meters they will knit, spin, crochet or otherwise craft out of their stash. This year it looks like there will be a 3k, 5k and 10k goal. I'm aiming at the 5k, five thousand meters of yarn knitted out of my stash! 

This is my current UFO(UnFinished Objects)-pile that I will aim to finish: 

1. Still Light Tunic

This has been on the needles since June 2014. It was a weak start. The summer of 2014 was one of the warmest in a long time here in Norway, so a dress of wool on thin needles didn't tempt at all. Then it was out shined by new projects in brighter colors, only receiving a few rows now and then when I needed a good TV-knit. After Christmas I was a bit lost at what I wanted to knit, so I forced myself to knit on this and nothing else during my night shifts at work. I got both sleeves done in two nights! I've only got a few centimeters left now, and one pocket, so I ought to finish it. It should give me about 2000 meters worth of yarn de-stashed. 

2. Blueberry Waffle Socks for the husband

These have been on the needles for a shamefully long time, meaning a few months. I was on such a sock knit roll earlier this year, but  when I grew tired of it, all breaks were on! And this is all I left. It will get finished. 

3. College Sweater

I did enjoy knitting on this a lot, but I ran out of yarn. It's been waiting for the shipment of fresh forces, and should be easy to finish up. It's nice, thick merino on needles 3.5mm, and it's a itty-bitty-sized sweater.

4. Homespun Sweater

This too should be a quick finish. It's been in the UFO basket for a bit because I've been unsure if I've got enough yarn to finish it, or if it'll just end up being a vest. The insecurity has made it a less attractive knit in the evenings, unfortunately. 

5. Serpentine Socks by Wendy D. Johnson

Knit from a petrol blue handspun (BFL/nylon), and the only thing remaining is the ever-so-boring rib on both socks.

6. Almondine by Anne Hanson

I'm knitting these out of purple Malabrigo. They're great, but I can't memorize the pattern so they're slow going.

7. Green Raglan Sweater

Knit out of Kauni on needles 4.mm/US 5/UK 8, this should be a quick knit. It's knit top down and I'm doing the waist shaping right now. Sleeves will be done in a matter of two nightshifts (thumbs-up for quiet nights).

8. Diamond Gansey Socks by Wendy D. Johnson

Ever since I learned to knit socks I've been wanting to knit these. But I haven't had the skills or the right yarn. Now I've got both, so I can't wait to get these done. I need to buy some new cute Mary Jane-shoes to show them off this autumn!

I'm knitting these out of Uncommon Thread Tough Sock that I bought at Loop in London when we were  there on our honeymoon. Perfect match, in other words.

I'm also hoping to spin a bit during Stash Dash. I've got two batts of some grey wool left that I'm spinning for a cardigan. I also joined Three Water's Farm's Top Of The Month Club, as well as ordered a braid from them that I just couldn't resist. In the past week I have also processed one box of Norwegian wool that I had ... Let me just say that I'm lucky to have an understanding husband.

3 Favorites - Week 2

Socks from the Toe up by Wendy D. Johnson
I adore this book. I bought it a good long while ago, and was daunted by the instructions and charts, being brand new to knitting socks from the toe up. I just picked it up again and really, it's not hard at all. The patterns are really, really good! They're well thought-through, and I've yet to get stuck anywhere (apart from my own uselessness, I should know that reading through the pattern before beginning is a good idea by now.) I'm currently knitting two pairs of socks from this book, and I just can't get over how much fun it is. Highly recommended!
This book can be bought several places, they're listed on Wendy's page.

I need a prompt.
Sometimes I need to step out of my comfort-zone and try to draw or write something I normally wouldn't think of. This page is great for that. You can choose nouns, adverbs, adjectives, location ... Endless possibilities at the click of a button!

Have you seen Pusheen the cat?
I'm sure you've come across it somewhere on the internet, here you've got all of the drawings! I always go here when I need a pick-me-up. I also love that Pusheen has stickers on Facebook's messenger. I use it instead of words, just ask my friends.
Pusheen is also on Instagram.

Illustration

I've drawn for as long as I can remember. As you might have guessed by now I feel fairly creative and I can't contain it to just one craft. 

I often sketch out the garments I wish to knit. This is a raglan sweater I'm currently working on, with YO in the raglan.

 I began drawing "seriously" when I was 12. I had big plans on making a living for myself as an artist. And there was no doubt in my mind that I could do it if I just practiced, dressed right and hung out with the right people. Oh, to be that young again. (Not really.)

Mange and anime had just arrived in Norway, and being so different from anything that was on the market already, it drew aspiring artists like myself to it like wasps to beer. I've put that behind me now, but I'm glad I got to try it out. It taught me to draw in a way I doubt I would have tried if I went to a classic "Learn to draw realistic"-course. I've had my own style since then, ever changing, but at least I'm trying.

The manga-wave is also to blame for bringing me online, where I met a community as interested in drawing as myself. It's also where I met my husband!

I decided to take Arts in High School, and that was by far the most clever decision of my life. Not only did my style and preconceptions about art get challenged, but I learned a variety of new things, and met some kick-ass people at the same time.

After High School I started working, instead of studying. I was faced with reality and adulthood and inspiration took a back seat. Way back, it was like it became a bumper sticker on the back of the bus that is my life. I did pick up knitting at this time, because I desperately needed wool socks in my new city. But the art was gone for a long time. Until now.

I've left all thoughts of living off my art behind, starving artist just isn't my style. But I do hope I get to illustrate a book one day. That is my secret little dream.

Knitting

I learned to knit when I was about 6 years old, while I was in after-school. There was an elderly woman there that taught me to knit. Even if she hadn't taken the time to teach me, I would have been taught it later. I grew up in a family where all the women knit, so I've never known that it was possible to not knit. During my teens the knitting was put away and the pencil picked up instead. I was more interested in art for a long while. What brought knitting back into my life was a deep wish to own a pair of Norwegian selbu mittens.

My mum would not knit me a pair. It's not that she can't, but rather that I could do it myself if forced. I had never tried stranded knitting before, so this was something brand new for me. It was not easy, I had to re-learn how to knit on five needles, I frogged the knitting many times and I had to figure out how to hold two strands of yarn at the same time. But i succeeded and the knitting fire had been re-lit!

I'm known at work as the knitting girl. I've overheard people mention me, not knowing my name but referring to me as "that young girl that's always knitting". I'm strangely pleased with that, but it also goes to show just how big a part of my life knitting is. I've even got an emergency kit in my closet at work; one ball of sock yarn and 5 double-point needles. You know, just in case I should forget my knitting at home.

From this post it looks like I only knit stranded, but I don't. I'll show you more of what I'm knitting later, but I update my Ravelry and Instagram frequently.