KnitBot

And, weaving fun was had, for sure! 
So, the first thing off the loom is not “a piece” or really even an “FO”.  It’s just a sampler, warp that I filled with weft as I was playing around to get to know what this weaving thing is all about.  I won’t even begin to discuss [...]

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Oooh, lookey!  Another weekend!  More Quality Time with the Baby Wolf.   I managed to thread the heddles on the shafts, in the appropriate order, and get the warp threads actually attached to the front and back beams. 

And — treadled! 
Don’t look now, but this warp is ready to be woven!

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On the weekend, I finally had the opportunity to spend some Quality Time with the Baby Wolf.  I measured 120 warp threads (in 2 colours), and got as far as getting the reed sleyed.

Still a ways to go — have to thread the heddles on the shafts, in the appropriate order, and get the warp [...]

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Best wishes, from Grand Manan.
And, by request — socks in the window:

Those are, in fact, new socks (old feet).  There’ve been a few end-of-year Finished Objects here at KnitBot central, and they are duly posted up on in the KnitBot Yarn Gallery.
And, for fun — here is the year in review (all objects finished in [...]

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Every now and then, the question comes up on knitting message boards — “can I take my knitting project on the plane?”.  There is no uniform answer across the globe.  Generally speaking, knitting needles are allowed through airport security in Canada and the US, but not allowed in a number of European airports.  And, there [...]

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Perhaps — just perhaps — I
am learning.
I have previously
observed, on more
than one occasion, that I really should swatch for colours and
pattern realities before I embark on a project.
I’m now playing with some ideas for a multicolour, textured sweater in
Rowan Cocoon (chunky merino/kid mohair).  I bought the yarn with
an eye to colours that played nicely together, [...]

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The other day, DH approached me with a box of yarn in hand, prompting
me to retreat and utter some sailorly language.  The attentive
will note that this is not my expected reaction to yarn; certainly, it
was not what DH might have expected.
The problem was that it was a box that had been hiding in the basement
(no [...]

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Okay, so here is the revised pattern, instantiated in the new sock:

The 2-knit-stitch welt is progressing properly; the stockinette panels
are oddly parallelogrammed, and the moss stitch is setting up in modest
diamond shapes… I think it mostly works.  I think the next time
I’ll keep the stockinette panels diamond-shaped, and let the moss
stitch run amok between the [...]

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After I’d done these
“diamond moss stitch” socks, I chided myself for not having adjusted
Lesley Stanfield’s stitch pattern (for the diamonds) to work in the
round.  You can see the “disconnect” between the segments of welt
here:

I decided to make that adjustment and use the same motif in the current
sock project (which uses Tess
SuperSock yarn — nice tight [...]

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No, not a dromedary — camel & silk blend (YUMMM!) from Hand Maiden Yarns (”Camelspin”, 70%
Silk, 30% Camel), purchased at Cricket
Cove in Blacks Harbour, NB.

I don’t know how many times we’ve driven by that store and not been
able to stop in — either we’re rushing to catch the ferry to Grand
Manan, or just off the [...]

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Well, after about 4 weeks of meetings and travel, I have a new pair of
socks.  I guess I must not knit very quickly — to take so many
weeks to produce a pair.  But, I’m on to the next pair already.
These are done in White
Birch Fiber Arts sock yarn, knit toe-up  with Cat Bordhi’s
Riverbed sole increases [...]

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I
mentioned that this burst of blogging is somewhat inspired by the
(writer’s block busting) activity of NaNoWriMo.
It turns out that I am hardly alone in this aspiration.  Someone
else has coined the NaBloPoMo
term for national blog posting month — blogging every day this
month.  That certainly captures the spirit of what I’ve been
trying this month, although I am [...]

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The other day, with some new laceweight yarn in hand, I was browsing
for patterns for shrugs.  (I could make a lace stole, but I think
it would be nice to have a colourful shrug to wear over a sleeveless
dress, as an alternative to having to balance drapey fabric all
evening).   More specifically, I was browsing through the
patterns [...]

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As I was writing the
entry about my current sweater design effort, I surprised myself by
reaching the tentative conclusion that I should rip the whole thing
back (frog it) and do something more compelling with the lovely
yarn.   I really had not thought about that before sitting
down and writing out the text.  It was an interesting revelation
that had [...]

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It happens that there are 2 baby blanket projects I have done that have
each achieved a level of fame.  This was not an intended outcome
– it just seems to have… happened.   In both cases, the
receiving baby seems to have enjoyed the blanket, which is all that
matters.
The first blanket to achieve some level of fame (or [...]

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I thought this
article, about Schaefer
Yarn’s “Sock the Vote” effort, was interesting for the peep into
the yarn industry it gives.
(”Sock the Vote” is a set of 4 colourways of sock yarn Schaefer did to
represent the colours apparently favoured by Michelle Obama, Hilary
Clinton, Sarah Palin and Cindy McCain).
In particular, the article notes,
“Schaefer said her company [...] [...]

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Seven years ago today, the project above was called to
action.   Happily, in the seven years since, I have learned a
thing or 2 about taking pictures of knitting and crochet
projects…!   And the recipient has been busy learning all
about more fundamental things!

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Here’s an old project, still underway:

That picture was taken over a year ago (September 2007).  There
has since been progress — but only a couple of inches or
so.   And this is the first piece of the sweater — there’s a
front and 2 sleeves to go after this piece is done.
It’s from my own design, and there [...]

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I feel I’m not making a lot of knitting progress this year.  
Maybe that’s really a “latter half of the year” problem.  Looking
at my completed
project gallery,  it’s not like it’s empty for 2008.
Sometimes, I guess you have to look back at a progression of things
(trees) to get the picture (forest).  I know I can look back [...]

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