Variations - Photo Heavy

I can always tell when a new Fair Isle is coming. The color fever takes over. First I grab an image and manipulate the colors in Photoshop.


Then, if I own the pattern, I bring the graph into Design-A-Knit and use a tool that randomizes your colors. You can save as you go and lock in some colors. Whew, it can get strange.

Swayed

What is it about mystery Knit-A-Longs that makes them appealing. Really, other people are picking your projects for you. Yet, I was really sorry when I missed the Mystic Waters Shawl and even sorrier that I missed Secret of the Stole. I did the Mystery Stole 3 and, very sorry, but I hated the asymmetrical wing. Now that is ripped back to the middle and sitting on my mantle waiting for SOME second half inspiration.

But missing some sweet shawl KALs really rankles. So I signed up for two recently and have really lucked out on the first one so far. I am in Secret of the Stole II (SOTSII) and loving it. Clue One was an easy, one sitting, almost mindless, pleasant knit. I had been working with the yarn and needle combo recently so I did not swatch but dived right in. What fun. Knitpicks Shadow in Redwood Forest on sale and from stash, Options #4 needles and my cd case to contain the yarn. Happy knitter.


I also signed up for Mystic Light KAL which I believe is still open. It doesn't start for a while. Even if I work on it late, I will have the files this way.

Between the shawl KALs and Selbu stuff, I feel like I am knitting flotsam once again. I almost fear reading what other people are blogging lest I look down on my needles and see it there. I do have a brain in my head, you know. I just wish my hands and needles could figure that out too.

NM yummies

I popped my shoulder, so had to set down the knitting needles for a couple of days. Instead I have been cooking and boy, howdy, have I found a doozie of a cookbook. I was dubious when I opened it, but got kinda caught up in the descriptions. Fiberguy had to leave town and so I tried a simple recipe thinking I could dump it if it was terrible without him being subjected to another strange kitchen nightmare. Welllll, it wasn't terrible. In fact it was yummy. Really yummy. So yummy, I drove down to the store to get ingredients for another recipe.

Who knew that you could bake with tofu and have the dish come out creamy, moist and totally yummy? I tried the blueberry muffins and boy are they good. I made the chocolate frosting and it has the creamy mouth feel of the most over the top buttercream frosting. The flavor was spot on. (see the picture on the cover?) The cupcakes are tomorrow since the frosting needed to be cooled in the fridge. Now I just want to make everything from this book.

Speaking of food, if you are in New Mexico or travelling to here soon, I just found the best site for restaurant reviews. Gil's Thrilling Web Site is not misnamed. I stopped by for a quick look and 4 hours later I was still reading. He writes very well and covers a lot of territory. It is not a blog, just a collection of reviews. On the weekend we choose one from the list and it was great. This is a place I drove past twice a week for years now. I never even considered going in and it may be the best place in town. Places I thought were pretty good got less than perfect reviews so I am dying to try what he thinks is better. Frankly we don't eat out much but now, we have a long list to try.

I also found a little treat for my feet. Aren't these nice? They mold to the foot and are so comfy. I started to knit socks right away to match. So much of a sock shows with these that they are perfect for a knitter. Love my new Mary Jane Crocs.

Knitting all over the map

My new SNB group met on Tuesday and I started this sock. Finished Thursday. Boy are these fast and fun. Just a bit of left over dyed Top of the Lamb sport singles which will be hidden under the haze of the mohair after the first washing.


Fiberguy went too and worked on his sock. He has turned the corner and done with his decreases. He is fascinated and thrilled with the magic of heel turning. Ah, what a wise man.


My favorite IV nurse is leaving and I am thrilled for him and bummed for me. He was sure to be the most gentle of them all. So, I am thanking him the best way I can, with my needles. He gets a Marsan Watchcap. I added a stitches to make it 96 around since a lot of people mentioned it being a bit small. What do you give someone that never has to stick you more than once?


And lastly, I have been spinning the same old, same old. My light green blend of superwash merino. Do you think I will end up with two or ten sweater's worth of this stuff? I have 2 pounds spun of the dark green alone and it is only one of many colors. I was thinking a raglan tshirt in stranded knitting. Just how big do I think I am??? I did really get into the blending part and still have two partial mixes to go. It is fun, mindless spinning, a bit finer than DK, 3 ply, maybe a light sportweight. The socks of the same ilk have been into the washer and dryer a hundred times or so and still sweet. All the time I was carding, I kept thinking of my old Starmore yarns and the magical blends of so many colors.

You guys...

Wow, the response to the Quilted Leaf socks has be tremendous. I got more blog hits in 24 hrs than in the last few months combined. And plenty of you signed up on Ravelry to queue them. Gee, thanks for the great support. And all the tons of email on these.


Well, like so many others, I have fallen down the Selbuvotter rabbit hole and have 3 projects going and two more in travel bags. These gloves are Jamieson's Spindrift in buttercup and spagnum. Though the pattern calls for bigger needles, I am using #1 US double pointed. I have whopping big hands, but these fit me fine until I got to the fingers. For reasons I just don't understand, my tension got much tighter on the fingers using the same yarn and needles. And I have large and really long fingers. After ripping, I just had to think looser and got the gauge I sought. Why did it never hit me before that I can make gloves to fit my long fingers? All my other gloves were all fingerless and I feel like such an idiot. I knit, why didn't I figure this out before? Fiberguy is having a great laugh at my expense over this...

Lastly, I did finish the socks to show my team spirit to no avail. We lost in spectacular fashion and there was just no talking about it in the house for a while. The socks are my own dyed sock yarn and some alpaca/wool fingering blend called Alpaca Lana. Hmmm. I got a big bag of 10 balls for $5 and just love it, but noname describes it well.


Oh, for those who questioned the Amazon list in the sidebar, I am afraid it is staying for a while at least. It is for the SOAR fund for both of us. Travel and swill add right up. If you need to order from Amazon, think of us and click through. Don't worry, I will never bring this up again.

Another holiday gift for you - adjustable width socks

You will find these in my sidebar as Quilted Leaf Socks.

You can adjust the sock's width by adding more or less stitches in the ribbed sections between the lace patterns. Visually, we don't usually notice whether a rib is one or two stitches wide. It is easy to stuff a few more in or just go down to one stitch each. Yet, since these are done in light worsted weight, those stitches can add up to a better fit. Download the pattern and see for yourself.

Enjoy your holiday present from all of us at fiberhouse.

And for those of you who are counting, fiberguy's socks are done and drying - more on them tomorrow.

Electric Ball Winder Repair Tutorial

Warning - this is a photo heavy tutorial on how to fix your broken electric ball winder.

Have one of these? Does it perform poorly or not at all? Chances are very good that the fix is simple. The original drive bands tend to crack, stretch, fall off or just not have enough power.

OK, we will take it apart and fix this sucker. It is fast and easy. You will need some stretchy drive band [I got mine from Babe's Fiber Garden], a phillips head and flat head screwdriver, flame and scissors.

Lay your UNPLUGGED baby down on its side. [Note, I am wearing gloves only because I have a boo-boo. Also note that I keep my extra fuse taped to the top of my winder above the switch.]

Unscrew and remove the white cone.

Remove the clip with the tip of your flathead. Lift off the black geared unit from the shaft.

Remove the 4 corner screws but NOT the flat screw near the power cable.

Lift off the top gently. It will remain attached inside by 4 wires on clips. If these become detached during the fix, simply re-insert them onto the clips before you end.

Ah, here is the problem. The belt has slipped the track and is cracked at the join.

Cut a length of stretchy drive band just a tiny bit smaller than the current one. Heat both ends in a flame and press together until firmly attached. It pays to practice this move ahead of time with a small scrap of band. When you finally get a join that you like, trim it down with scissors or an exacto-type knife. I snip with scissors and gently reheat, then roll with gloved fingers. It doesn't have to be perfect, just not lumpy enough to jump the track.

I stretched it a little to get it back in the track.

OK, let's put this baby back together. Check your wire clips and put your cover back on. Screw in place. Now, on the bottom of the black plastic geared part, there is a tongue sticking out. As you slide it down onto the shaft, line the tongue up with the slot until it is fully seated.

Your teeth will engage the black center shaft. Make sure it is all the way down and then put in the clip with the tip of the screwdriver. Go ahead, give it a good shove.

Say, while you are down there, make sure you tighten this nut a bit to save you some trouble later. Put on the white cone hat and you are ready to go.

Now my electric ball winder ZOOMS. It was easy.

I thought it was the gears from the grinding I heard, but no, it was just the belt. The drive bands from Babe's Fiber Garden (of the PVC spinning wheel fame) were exactly the right size for this -- perfect fit. It took a week to get the drive band, and 5 minutes to fix. Man, I have been winding like mad since. Alpaca cloud, 440 yds, in less than 1.5 minutes with no touching. Oh, and while I was monkeying around, I did open the metal loop guide closest to the white cone. That way I can easy thread it instead of trying to get a thread in the hole - I just loop it.

I have to tell you, I hated this winder when I got it. It cost a fortune and had no power. I have bad hands and needed help winding. I wanted a working tool. Now I have something I am quite happy with and it really saves wear and tear on my hands, so I have more knitting, less winding. It does help to have organized skeins. I had to rewind one that had become slightly fulled during the dye process. So if you were wondering if you wanted to add this to your wish list, I recommend it highly. In fact, keep your eyes open on the auctions. I always see non-working models go for a song. I just bet that it is only the drive band holding these back. Now you, too, can fix it.