Steeking -- Stone Cold Sober

I finally did it. I steeked the Bohus. And I did it stone cold sober.



Following the instructions, I basted in several guideline stitches of yarn -- one in the exact middle, and two five rows away on either side. Then I machine stitched one row away from the middle on each side and then two rows away from the middle on each side. So, those cut stitches have nowhere to go. Then, with wild abandon, I took out my trusty shears and cut my sweater right up the middle on the basted yarn guideline.



So far, the sweater hasn't completely self-destructed. In fact, it looks pretty good and, better -- now that I can try it on properly -- I think it might actually fit.

Now I need to pick up umpteen million stitches along the edges and knit the dreaded button bands. This is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's least favorite thing. I guess we'll find out how like it.

Felt is Magical

I've been doing one of my favorite knitting projects over the past week. I've been making felt hats. I love it because it's magical. You start knitting with big needles and bulky yarn (or two strands) and it knits up fast. Then it looks like a giant misshapen mistake -- like this. Then you throw it in the washer with a pair of jeans and a miracle occurs. It becomes a solid fabric and the brim turns up and it looks great. I haven't decided yet whether to embellish the hats with some needlefelting or add flowers or something. The teal one looks to me like it needs a little something to make it interesting. The striped one probably has enough going on. The navy blue mohair blend one hasn't been washed yet but when it does it will be really fuzzy and probably won't require any further embellishment.

I've also been spinning a bit of the wool I got at the Wool Gathering. This was interesting -- I bought two tubes of yarn and each tube had maybe ten little puffs of yarn in it, each a different color (but both tubes were the same). I spun each on a separate bobbin and then plied them together and, presto, striped yarn with lots of color.

Last, the Bohus is still waiting to be steeked. I need to get my nerve up and my sewing machine out. I wonder if I'll ever get it finished ... I need a slow day when I can take my time. As if that'll ever happen ...

Wool Gathering 2009

This year we had a caravan to the Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Lynne and Rachel the Peach went in one car because they had to leave early and I followed in another car, eager to wring the last drop of wooly goodness from this year's event.

The weather was fantastic and everyone took advantage of it ... EVERYONE. As I left, one of the sponsors told me that attendance was record breaking -- and I believe it. It was downright crowded! Good for the vendors and a little frustrating for the shoppers, but everyone was good-humored.

The very first thing I saw as I came in was the sheep dog demonstration. A very talented border collie was herding black ducks through tunnels, up ramps and into enclosures. As always, it was amazing to watch the owner direct the dog and the dog guide the ducks through the course.

I walked the entire place twice -- once to look (and feel and smell) and once to buy. There were two huge tents and booths lining the aisle in between them and they were filled with fiber of all types -- from fresh off the animal to finished garments and everything in between, including the animals themselves. There were sheep and goats and llamas and alpacas and rabbits for sale in addition to the yarn and fiber from them.

Best of all, I got to see a lot of friends from the fiber world: Joan Payne, Pat Maley, Moya Jones, Barb Gallagher, Annette Boose, Lisa Rodenfels, and lots more, in addition to spending time with Lynne and meeting Rachel the Peach.

On the way home I passed a field full of sunflowers and couldn't resist stopping the car and taking some pictures. It was a lovely day.

Now for the goodies I bought! I got 2 oz. of a cashmere/silk blend to spin up for something yummy. I also got some Cascade 220 for making some more nativity figures. I got two tubes of a multicolored roving that's meant to be spun in sequence so you can ply it and make striped yarn. I got a cool bracelet that lets you hang a ball of yarn from your wrist while you knit. I got some turquoise dye and highlighter tape (which I'd never seen before -- genius idea!) and last, but not least, several ounces of tussah silk to spin. I definitely did my part to support the vendors and keep the Wool Gathering going!

More Progress on the Bohus

I finished the yoke on the Bohus sweater and it's starting to look good. The white and gray colorwork really lifted the mood from the all black background and gave the sweater some life. I still need to knit the 1 inch of ribbing that finishes the neckline and graft under the arms, THEN it's on to the dreaded steeking. I've heard that a couple of stiff drinks may be necessary to work up the courage to cut the knitted fabric. I wonder if pina coladas are too frou-frou to work...

Off to College

We got Ally all settled at Centre College this week. We went down and stayed at Shakertown on Tuesday night and then moved her in on Wednesday.

The college had everything remarkably well organized. We were stunned that a swarm of volunteers -- including professors and even the president of the college -- descended on us and helped us carry all of her stuff up to the room. It took no time at all to get the car unloaded and then we had the rest of the morning to put things in place.

There were a lot of orientation meetings for both the students and the parents and then it was time to leave. Her Dad and I didn't start crying until we were headed out of town, but we felt pretty good about her ability to cope with college life. We've been communicating by email since then at least once or twice a day. She's settling in just fine.

Bohus Update

I started the sleeve of the Bohus, only to find that it was created for an elephant. I started looking for pictures of the finished sweater -- the pattern picture isn't that good -- and found a few on Ravelry. The sleeve is a BELL shape! Well, I don't want that, so I contacted a great knitter on Ravelry who changed the shape of her Bohus sleeves and got some advice from her. With help, I was able to make a regular sleeve with the fancy cable rib cuff and I've started the second sleeve. So, the Bohus is moving right along.

On the spinning wheel, I've spun two bobbins full of the merino/mohair blend that a friend gave me. I need to ply them and I'll probably dye the yarn before I knit it up.

Around the house, we're getting ready for the big change. Ally is going off to college -- our first is leaving the nest. We're trying to get everything ready for her to go -- trying to anticipate every need. I think all of us are both in denial and thinking to ourselves that this will be the last time the family is together living as a family. I shouldn't be so dramatic, but things do change once you're living on your own at college. When you come home, it's like your a guest in your own house. Oh, well. Time marches on. Our goal as parents is to make her independant of us ... but it goes so fast.

Slowly, Not Surely

The body of my black Bountiful Bohus sweater has been finished for at least two weeks. I just got up the gumption to start on the sleeves, only to find that they're bell shaped and only three-quarter length. Why didn't I look at the pattern more closely?!

Actually, the pattern itself doesn't show the sleeves. I had to look at other people's projects on Ravelry to find some pictures of them. I only thought to look when I had done three rows on a sleeve and realized that it could fit an elephant. Anyway -- I think the pattern sleeves are really ugly and now I'm going to have to redesign them, which is going to be unpleasant. I want close-fitting sleeves that go to the wrist. This sweater may not get done any time in the near future.