Elann Community Chat Center

Alice Trueman - all messages by user

10/24/2008 9:58:41 AM
I bit the bullet Start collecting pots and pans for dyeing right now. It`s amazing how much `hardware` DD and I have amassed so far AND she has another set at her house.
One of those folding up drying racks for the skeins is a great investment - DH got me one at Home Hardware for less than $15 - wood frame and vinyl covered rods for hanging the wet skeins.
DD`s housemates made her move her dyeing operations from the laundry room to the sunporch as they called limits on ducking under wet skeins to get to the downstairs bathroom - why the guys were complained about yarn is a bit hard to understand, it could have been dripping panty-hose.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/24/2008 1:11:02 PM
I bit the bullet Dates are:
Retreat 1 - Thursday June 11th - Thursday June 18th

Retreat 2 - Sunday June 21st - Sunday June 28Th

Cost will be about $900US + materials kit all in-clusive for new people, a bit off for returnees.

Dyeing yarn and knitting it up = theme

Shall I put you down Benne?
Others, let me know if you are interested. We`ll invite Ann and Angela.

Alice
Salt Spring Island.
10/25/2008 9:49:47 AM
having a problem with sleeves on Katia Mississippi Cardigan Benne, I posted some generic instructions on 9/4/2007 on top-down set-in sleeves. If you put `sleeves` and my name into `search` the message should come up at the bottom of the list - that`s how I found it.
There`s nothing difficult or mysterious about the technique but it does require a degree of faith as it looks odd to begin with.
Compared to killing poisonous snakes, this is a cinch!

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/25/2008 9:58:15 AM
Dye pot finishes..stainless steel or enamel? If you find any sort of steamer, keep it. My blancher (for freezing vegetables, etc) got sacrificed. With rolled up aluminum foil to raise up the basket part, it works like a charm for steaming. Corning Ware large Dutch oven has become `pot o`dye` for immersion dyeing. The author of one book I have uses an enamel pot with a large chip - the chip adds extra tones as the dye and yarn come against the bare metal. Casserole dyeing in the oven works well - I really didn`t need those ironstone casseroles, did I?
Advice: keep as much as you can until you have dyed several times and learn what you like best.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/30/2008 9:00:26 AM
Interweave Felt - for those who were on SSI a couple of years ago Treenway will mail to anywhere in the world. Their web site is http://www.treenwaysilks.com/

It`s a good site - well worth looking at. If you are thinking of ordering yarn, look at the mileage per pound - some is VERY fine.
Silk ribbons for embroidery look very good - Cheryl buys them for her mother.
Must tell you that the `washroom` for customers is down the path through the garden to an outhouse with no door but a wonderful view of the sea - the toilet is a flush model.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/30/2008 9:08:14 AM
cambridge jacket Wash the zipper before you try again - you don`t want to put it in a third time.
Do what Les says above - it works well. I sew over and over at the `top-point` as well. It is possible to take off the zipper stopping thing and put it back on, but fiddly. It is possible to buy new `stops` at stores which sell fixings for slip-covers, duvet covers and the like - look in the `zippers by the yard` section.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/30/2008 9:08:14 AM
Cambridge Jacket Wash the zipper before you try again - you don`t want to put it in a third time.
Do what Les says above - it works well. I sew over and over at the `top-point` as well. It is possible to take off the zipper stopping thing and put it back on, but fiddly. It is possible to buy new `stops` at stores which sell fixings for slip-covers, duvet covers and the like - look in the `zippers by the yard` section.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/30/2008 9:13:52 AM
Dragon lovers Absolutely great pattern for a dragon (stuffed) in Nicky Epstein`s "Knitting on Top of the World" - page 200. Chris, you must look at this one!

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/30/2008 9:21:31 AM
Interweave Felt - for those who were on SSI a couple of years ago You can always mail your laundry home, or wear a few extra layers of clothes to get that silk in. If you place an order, I can always pick it up for you - Treenway is close to the Fulford Harbour ferry. My one driving trip was to pick up DD from the ferry for Thanksgiving weekend - no choice, so off I went with `air boot` and all - I can do it!

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/31/2008 11:21:27 AM
Undyed yarn Dyeing is exciting. Come to Salt Spring next June and give it a try.

If you look through the Elann yarns on `Search` you will see several yarns already dyed in the same weights.

Also, you can dye cream shades of heavier yarns any colour you want. Overdying is another possibility. I`ve painted both the gold and pale grey Needful Cara and both worked out well.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/31/2008 11:26:37 AM
Felting Sample Packs & New Addi size I`ve ordered the red and green packs to make felted bags for the Christmas socks - environmentally sensitive!
I`m nearly finished the sock list instead of just starting as I usually am at the beginning of December. DD came over Wednesday night for her spinning class and drove off to the ferry in the just finished Noro socks at 7am Thursday. She really liked them so how could I say NO!.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
10/31/2008 2:17:05 PM
Felting Sample Packs & New Addi size Yes, Les, it`s the Noro sock yarn. Didn`t get to wash it - they were firmly on feet on Thursday morning.
What I found:
-ball was very tangled inside and would not centre pull, so I ended up with the whole centre part in a big lump in my lap which I rewound around the shell that was left inside the ball band.
- although some parts are very thin, it does require larger needles. I pulled out most of the first sock and reknit it again on 3.25mm with, I think, 52 stitches (intended them for Corey) and averaged 6 st per inch
- colourway came out well. Two socks do not match as I just started the second sock where the first one ended. Couldn`t get upstairs then, so couldn`t get my scale and was afraid of running out. Would have had enough, just, for socks a scant 7 inches to top of heel stitches and 10 inches in the foot. Might have squeezed a pair for John from the ball but without matching.
- I chose 3.25mm needles because I had two Addi circulars in that size that I could find downstairs
-not as quick toknit as regular sock yarn. Some bits of scattered vegetation.
-despite all of the above, will knit another pair after I hear from Dani how they wash.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/1/2008 9:58:37 AM
Halloween We had 5 this year - a record high for us here. I convinced DH to buy only good chocolates wrapped in coloured foil which he eats anyway.
My contribution? I knitted half a sock with 4 orange rows every fifth stripe.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/1/2008 10:05:20 AM
Monday Boucle Think about a ruana. Alternate garter stitch bands with stripes in a thinner solid colour yarn in Mock-Turkish stitch - black works well. The Mock-Turkish stitch even out the gauge. There`s a battle plan in one of the XRX books - I think Handpaint Country. Great garment for winter, alone, over a sweater, or over a winter coat depending where you live.
Buy 5 or 6 balls and fill in from stash.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/1/2008 10:54:04 AM
PINWHEEL SWEATER FOR KIDS- help with the armholes Hi Diane
I`m assuming that you are knitting Shelley Mackie Pinwheel Sweater from the free patterns section.
Have a very good look at the picture at the bottom with the sweater as a flat circle. The sleeves are attached to wedges #2 and #7 and knitted as an `afterthought`. When you are on the row where you are knitting 18 stitches you are also making the holes for the sleeves you are going to knit on later.

-Knit Wedge #1
-Put the existing stitches for Wedge #2 on a stitch holder for knitting the top half of the sleeve later
-Cast on 18 stitches to replace the ones on the stitch holder. You will use both sides of these stitches - the top half now for continuing the circle and the bottom half later for the bottom of the sleeve.
-Knit across Wedges #3, #4, #5, #6.
-Put the Wedge #7 stitches on a stitch holder for the top of the second sleeve
-Cast on 18 stitches to replace the ones on the stitch holder.
-Knit Wedge #8.
-Continue to knit the circle as if nothing happened.

I use a different provisional cast-on from Shelley as I am not very fond of ends, but you really don`t need one here. I would knit around the whole circle using the same yarn. Once you have the stitches on the holder, flip it out of the way on the RIGHT side of the knitting (sleeve is going to grow out of the right side). I would use a knitted cast-on using the yarn that is right there from Wedge#1. This is a child`s sweater and the cast-on is going to be under the arm - knitted cast-on will be less bulky than dealing with the ends. Then keep going around until you reach Wedge #7 and then repeat.
When you come to knitting the sleeves, pick up 9 stitches from the left side of the sleeve, knit the 18 on the stitch holder, then pick up 9 more on the other half of the cast-on. Mark the start of the row. If you want to tighten the picked-up stitches, knit into the back of the stitches on the first sleeve row.

Think of this as a round wash cloth with two trunks coming out of it.
Post again if this does not solve the problem.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/2/2008 9:46:37 AM
Undyed yarn There`s a superwash merino in DK weight available in colours. Also a baby cashmere yarn.
Sometimes things sell out really quickly, so you need to be at your computer with finger poised at 9am Pacific Time

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/2/2008 9:59:09 AM
The best Halloween costume I saw this year was- Knit in the slashes - much more of a challenge than cutting.
One of the hardest things I ever knit was a `tattered` scarf for the Woodsman in "Into the Woods" for community theatre. With 21 performances all the holes and ragged bits had to be knitted-in so it would last. Six feet and two days before opening night (finally gave up trying to find something that looked right and didn`t disintergrate in rehearsal),I knitted that thing everywhere except actually teaching and driving. DH was so embarassed, he thought that people might think I knitted that way - the children were oblivious as they were used to my costuming antics.
My two stalwart helpers and I won the costuming award for Southern Ontario community theatre that year - so all the little details were worthwhile. The scarf was remarked upon in the adjudication.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/2/2008 10:25:59 AM
Question about giftiness for school personel My two were in school from 1984-1999, but things probably haven`t changed much. I used to give everyone except the classroom/homeroom teacher much the same thing and something a bit nicer to that teacher. Usually variations of the same thing as with two in the same school I had to come up with about 15 gifts - at Christmas and in June. Most mothers just went and bought but that was too expensive. The decorative cushions were a great hit, topiaries went over well, and then there was the mass-production of the 15 bears with the children stuffing to various degrees of portliness. Toques were quick and easy. Don`t get carried away with anything too complicated.
Simplest of all, and appreciated, is to go into a cookie exchange with friends, neighbours, workmates, and divide up your share into pretty boxes, bags, or whatever. 15 people = 15 different kinds,4 of each kind, put 2 of each into each box and you`re done with some left over to eat. Hint: make Christmas squares, with lots of red and green chopped up cherries, bake on one large cookie sheet, sprinkle with icing sugar snow,and cut up for your contribution of 60.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/3/2008 6:10:10 PM
overdyeing cashmere Could you paint it leaving just peach accents? Try winding off several small skeins and experimenting before you commit to dyeing the whole lot.

Alice
Salt Spring Island
11/8/2008 11:38:46 AM
pattern - Katia swing cardigan Hi Donna
I haven`t knitted this but I read through the pattern - it doesn`t look as if it is going to work out, but it does.
You cast on 75 stitches for the centre front, then:
[Every 4th row]
Cast on 3 stitches for the first increase.
Cast on 2 stitches each time for the next 2 increases.
[Every 2nd row]
Increase 2 stitches each time for next 5 increases.
Increase 3 stitches each time for next 3 increases.

Increases = 11
Stitches increased = 3+2+2, 2+2+2+2+2+3+3+3 = 26
75 original stitches + 26 cast-on stitches = 101 stitches

Work the cast-on stitches into the pattern as quickly as you can so that the pattern continues up to the neck edge.
Hope this helps. Post again if it doesn`t

Alice
Salt Spring Island
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