I have finally begun a new weaving project! I am calling it the Cosmic Blanket. In looking through my stash of cones that I received with the loom, I found an atrocious cone of something called Mexicali 3/2 perle cotton. It reminds me of the very first knitting yarn I had when I was a kid. The tricolor Red Heart, you know what I mean. I measured the entire cone into a 3.25 yard warp and came up with enough for about 3/4 of the 44″ wide throw. Another 1/4 is a taupe 3/2 perle cotton. Bleh. Taupe. Now for the weft. I think black or brown. Once I finish threading the heddles I will decide on that. I want this project to be easily machine washable because a college student will be the recipient. And they may eventually get around to washing out the stench of college life. So, maybe Wool-Ease for the weft. The weave structure is a combination twill. From an online pdf I found here. Page 4, Combination Twill 4. I am hoping the multi mexicali will do it justice. If not, that is OK too. I’ll just call it a big swatch. Threading begins today!
Also in progress are the North Sea Shawl, the Celtic Dreams “sneak in” project (I couldn’t help it!), and of course the Pi Shawl. 
Monthly Archives: November 2007
11.25.07 The Post Thanksgiving Post
Well, its over. The Thanksgiving Feast was had. I captured one daughter in pixels in her Rusted Root sweater:
The other one would not be captured. Well, I didn’t get the camera out quick enough. My bad. Also, a teapot got cosy with Jo Sharp Desert Cotton Aran in parakeet colorway:
Wait! If you look very closely there appears to be some sort of crazy fool behind the pie! Anyway, the cosy is destined to be disassembled. It was quick knitting the day after Thanksgiving, just to amuse myself. I stitched its parts together and even though the pieces were the size they were supposed to be they didn’t want to go together. And, I don’t like the way the bottom panel is just sort of there. It needs an edge so maybe by the next post I will do that. Give it an edge. And edgy teapot. Heh. The Tea Cosy pattern is in Jo Sharp Knit Issue 2. A nice book of patterns. With an edge.
11.26.07 Happy Thanksgiving Week!
I am really happy for this week to be here. I have been looking forward to seeing my girls since the last time I saw them. I guess everyone who has kids in college knows what I mean so I will move on to other topics. 
I still have not started a weaving project but there is one in the buying planning stage. It involves more cones of yarn. Of course I didn’t have the proper yarn already in the house. I have ordered some yarn. 8/2 unmercerized cotton, for hand towels, for gifts. Can anyone tell me what would happen if I substituted 5/2 perle cotton for the towels? I have some of that too. I guess I could experiment. I think they would be larger and less absorbent. What I have really been working on is the Pi Shawl. I am more than 1/2 way around the knitted-on lace edging. It is really progressing slowly. I am easily bored. And once I do 4 repeats of the pattern I can’t take it any more! I have divided the remaining stitches into groups of 100. I have 350 left. Only 4 stitches are incorporated into the edging per 8 row pattern repeat which creates one point along the edge. Suffice it to say it will not be finished any time soon.
Yesterday I was spinning some of my 5 lb. merino fleece for another project in the not so distant future.
I am aiming for a fingering weight-ish grist 2 ply (that is totally a technical term 
). Because… I have started another project and it wants to be this: 
The North Sea Shawl, from Folk Shawls. I am thankful I have lots of yarn.
11.15.07 Many Thanks!
I am really fortunate to be a part of the blog world. Since my post about my trip to the UK several very helpful people have contacted me with information about local wools available in the UK that sadly I missed! One is Joyce in Devon who owns a shop in Bovey Tracey, Devon which is just outside Dartmoor, called Spin A Yarn. She offers locally grown wools! Joyce also gave a recommendation for her friend Val who has a local business and website based in the Blackdown Hills, Somerset called the Woolly Shepherd. Another commenter was Fran in the Midlands, who recommended Shilasdair on the Isle of Skye. They have their own dye garden! Thanks Joyce and Fran! 
By the way, this picture of a Whitefaced Dartmoor is from a website called Sheep 101 which is a very useful resource regarding breeds and their characteristics! 
I finished the Rusted Root top for Caroline the day before yesterday. And the friend of Caroline (Linda) is reported to have liked her hat! Yesterday I finished spinning the Kid Hollow Farm roving: 1000 yards of 2 ply chunky fuzzy blueness. That’s 2000 yards of singles. 72,000 inches…well, it was totally worth it. 
For some reason, this post didn’t want to “take”. I think WordPress is having issues.
