My Favorite Knitting Accesory – Chai

Oct 082012
 

Spinning has been happening and I’ve got some Hedgehog Fibers Merino/Silk/Flax yarney goodness hanging outside to dry on this gorgeous fall day. I chain plied it to show off the rich deep colors. It’s the first time I’ve spun anything with flax in it so there was a learning curve – but I’m happy with the results. The Cherry and I are getting to know each other pretty well by now, and with some downloaded Interweave videos along with some splashes of You Tube, (did you know you can download youtube videos to your iPad using Good Reader?) it’s coming along slowly but surely.

I’ve been waxing on about the importance of chai in my knitting life, particularly Sunday mornings. When Twisted visited this summer I promised her my chai recipe – and she asked for it again in her Soup Weather post. So here it is!

First off, there are several key ingredients needed to make this recipe, and if you don’t live close to an Indian market, they call can be found on Amazon. Of primary importance is the tea; if a substitute is used, I can’t guarantee great results. Brook Bond Red Label Tea has both the depth of taste without overpowering and the texture of leaves needed to produce great results. Get the loose tea, not the tea bags. While you’re there, grab some cardamom. If you have a spice or coffee grinder, get the decordicated seeds. If not, powder will do, but you’ll be missing out on some of the fresh taste recently ground cardamom provides. I grind some up every week or so in a coffee grinder and store it in a tin with a small spice spoon. You will also need fresh ginger root, milk or milk substitute, water, and a sweetener of some kind if you like. I throw some fresh mint leaves in as well to balance out the heat of the ginger.

Here we go:

  1. To make two generous cups of chai, measure one mug of water and place it into the pan.
  2. Chop up some fresh ginger root. Don’t bother peeling it, just rinse it and chop into sizes small enough to fit into a food processor. Alternatively, you can use a hand shredder to do this, but that’s a little too much exercise for my taste this early in the morning. Measure out half a cup and put it in the saucepan. Store the rest of the ginger in the fridge for tomorrow’s chai. It will keep like this for a few days.
  3. Add three spice spoonfuls of cardamom to the pot.Throw in some mint leaves as well, and Truvia, or whatever you prefer for sweetener.  I use about 5 packets of Truvia for this amount of chai. Your pot should look like this:
  4. Fire her up. Bring to a boil watching the entire time! This boils over quickly!
  5. Add 3 heaping teaspoons of Brook Bond Tea along with a full cup of milk to the pan. Stir and stand by. The standing by part is crucial, because this will also boil over quickly and you will end up scrubbing crusted milky sweet stuff off your stovetop. Don’t ask me how I know this. While you are waiting, get your mugs ready. I set a handled mesh strainer inside a canning funnel and place them both on top of the mug.

The top of the chai turns a deep brown and a little puffy right before boiling. Take it off the heat when it looks like this:
Pour through the strainer, and enjoy.

 

 

 

Sunday Morning Lace – This Time with No Nupps.

Oct 072012
 

I finished blocking my Rosa Flora in time for my Mom’s birthday. This is actually one of the few times I’ve finished a shawl in time for gifting – yes, Hanami, I’m talking to you. At least I didn’t have to talk some bride a family member into wearing it half finished this time.

So the alarm went off this morning and the Sunday morning ritual began – making chai is sort of like knitting foreplay on days like this where I look forward to spending the morning in jammies knitting something lacey while drinking cups of warm heavenly cardamon scented sweetness. Though it takes about 20 minutes to make, a pot of chai is key for lace knitting.

This morning I’m working on Romi Hill’s Lisianthus. It was the perfect match  for the Odara in my stash, and I am using pearl type beads rather than nupps. (I’ve become anti-nupp in my old age – I find that trying to make the nupps perky sometimes results in them catching on jewelry and such. And if your nupps aren’t perky, it ain’t pretty. Beads avoid this situation entirely). I’ve got just six more rows to go before bind off. Each row being over 500 stitches, plus a crocheted bind off will keep me going with this for some time, but the end is in sight.

What did you spend Sunday morning working on?

Sunday Morning Lace

Sep 232012
 

The first time I heard Gigi of The Knitmore Girls talk about the indulgence of knitting in bed Sunday mornings, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. Sunday morning lace knitting is just one of the reasons Sundays are my favorite day of the week. It all happens here. A steaming cup of chai, a good audiobook to listen to, and my latest or even better, long forgotten lace project are all that’s needed. Throw in a plethora of down pillows coupled with a down comforter on a cool September morning with the honey-colored early morning Vineyard light  and such sweet indulgences become truly irresistible. I set my alarm each week to make sure I don’t miss out. Yes, seriously. I drag my ass out of bed on 6 am on Sunday mornings just to knit lace and drink chai. I highly recommend it.

Today’s lace knitting was dedicated to finishing up Rose Flora by Romi Hill. It’s the latest in her Pins & Lace Club as well as my favorite of all of her designs. Romi’s designs  just keep getting better and better, and when it becomes hard to believe she can top herself, she comes out with something even more breathtaking. Here’s Flo before her well deserved bubble bath: I used Dye For Yarn’s Limited Edition Silk/Cashmere Lace. The hand on it is just how you would expect of such a luxurious blend. The softness of the cashmere and the stitch definition the silk provides combine to make it perfect for lace projects. It took 581 yards to complete and I added some matte beads rather than the more dressy silver lined crystal – otherwise I’d have no where to wear it here on the Vineyard. The second round of signups for Romi’s 2013 Club are coming up soon and are not to be missed.

Oh yes, I’m back on the Vineyard! After a year of living in exile on Nantucket I’ve returned to Terra Nova. I couldn’t be happier to be home, and I’ve been busy nesting. I’ve been unpacking little by little, and along with feathering the perfect Sunday lace knitting spot above, I’ve nestled into a sweet spinning space next to the fireplace. And yes, the fireplace is a working one.

I’ve needed the spot lately as I’ve been hard at work on spinning Plover, the fleece from MDSW! I’ve actually taken a stab at processing the lovely chocolate brown romney cross fleece and it’s going fairly well. I’ve decided to make it my Fall term Harry Potter House Cup Owl. I did some research on the web along with some great video downloads from Interweave Press and am combining all I’ve learned into making my own process up. I decided to wash it a’la The Yarn Harlot. I’ve gotten that down, but still am working on my carding. I’ve got two great cards from Schact, and I’ll tell you all about it in a later post. I’ll leave you with a shot of how it’s spinning up:

When is your favorite time to knit?

~Purled

Jared Flood Gives Me a Get Well Present!

Jun 262012
 

It’s amazing how my Imaginary Knitting Boyfriend and I communicate in wool rather than words. Just this spring, he gave me a birthday present by releasing The Spring Thaw Look Book on my special day. So thoughtful! Since last week, I’ve been down with a summer flu, too sick to sit upright let alone knit. (I tried knitting laying down, but if you’re too weak to sit, holding the needles in the air doesn’t work either. I’ve got several Signature Stilletto pinpricks in my cheeks just to prove it). At any rate, Jared knew just what I needed to get a flush of color back in my cheeks and released Wool People Volume 3 today.

Jared Flood has shown his skill in choosing talented designers in the past for Look Books.  But culling through their bodies of work to curate a collection of designs that highlight each designer’s talents and come up with a common theme to link them together certainly shows through in this latest Look Book. In the intro, he writes “During the conceptual phase of development I had visions of effortless, lightweight layering garments in a beautiful array of neutral tones dancing in my head.”  Wool People 3 showcases just that. Let’s get on to the patterns, shall we?

First off – Reine Cardigan by Alexis Winslow. Alexis designed Vega from Wool People Volume 1. She’s clearly skilled in colorwork, but really seems to have blossomed with her latest design for this collection. The cardi has interesting detail on the hemlines and shoulders, as well as set in pockets with a cabled edge. Its structured without being fussy. It went right into my queue.

Bristol Ivy nails it again with two offerings – I immediately queued Bayard, a well constructed yet easy hat reminiscent of ticking, and grabbed me some Loft for it.  She also designed Auden, a textured dolman pullover. At first glance, Auden looks to be done in a simple wide rib, but zoom in and you will see the sweetly understated texture overlay worked into the pattern. Bristol’s ability to think outside the box and combine both rib and a second texture really work here.

And say hello to Yoko Hatta! One look at Ando makes you want to wrap up in it. It’s an unconstructed easy wearing cardi with subtle cable like stitchwork adding a finished look to it. Mari Tobita designed another favorite, Haru-Gasumi. I love the colorwork detail on the hem and sleeves and am considering making this as a cardi. And Rivage by Julie Hoover? Queued and Loft purchased for the wrap. A simple knit, but the muted tones combined with the wrapability really make it a must have.

Hannah Fettig, Veronik Avery, Amy Christoffers, and others also contributed to this collection with first class designs. Each Look Book has been different in it’s own way. This collection focuses less on lace and more on textures and soft hues. I enjoyed reading about the contributing designers at the end of the book as well, and it introduced me to those that I wasn’t familiar with and opened up a whole slew of possibilities when I combed through their other designs.

Knitters everywhere seem to be in a flutter about the collection as evidenced by getting “website busy” error messages a few times this morning while trying to order yarn. It’s always exciting on the Ravelry forums when a new Brooklyntweed collection is released. And just what I needed to garner up the blogging mojo and get knitting. Thanks, Jared!

Yummy! Lichtfaden and Romi.

Jun 192012
 

A short update: There are a few things that make me drop everything else and cast on. Not many things, but there are a few. Brooklyntweed updates, I’ve mentioned before. Twist Collective, sometimes. Knitty, maybe. (OK, that’s a lot already!) And as you know, I am a serious Romi Hill addict.

She released a pattern this week, one of the Muses. (And while I’m not in the MissBabs Club, the latest shipment was a Romi shawl which is gorgeous as well!) Lyrica Euterpe is a shallow, crescent-ish triangle knit out of fingering yarn. The lace is gorgeous on it, and there is a garter version and a stockinette version.

I knew exactly what yarn I was going to use as some of the preview photos were popping up on Ravelry and Twitter. It’s yarn that I custom ordered when Sabine made an announcement that she was thinking about releasing this base. Lichtfaden Tussah Silk Fingering. 400 meters of wonderful, soft, stuff with that sheen that silk throws off. Knitting the yarn is like knitting madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light — a single. I have a feeling this yarn will show its true colors post blocking. And the colors….sigh…goes without saying. You are going to think, “my God, you have flipped your lid” when I tell you it’s a variegated yarn that goes from green to purple. I never thought I would say those words so close together either.

A picture is worth a thousand words though, right?

What are you up to — have you spun some of the fleece from Maryland yet?

~Twisted.

Stalking Sometimes Turns Into Finished Objects. Then You Stalk Again.

Jun 112012
 

Remember, I was so proud of myself for getting some stuff off my needles that I went on a stalking spree? Well, sometimes, these sessions actually results in me casting on and knitting projects!!!!

First off, I used SusannaIC’s Frederica shawl as an excuse to buy the Jane Austin Knits, Summer 2012 magazine. (And have we talked about how I LOVE digitally downloadable magazines!?) I loved the color, I loved that there was lace work on the inside edge of the shawl and I thought it would be the perfect summer shawl. I NEEDED an orange shawl.

Well? The shawl was a very quick knit and it is off my needles and I’ve already worn it! I made it out of Wollmeise 100% in Campari Piccolo — which looks like Campari mixed with Orange Juice — and beaded it with 6/0 clear amethyst colored round seed beads. It took EXACTLY 1 skein…in fact, I had to bind off using a different yarn (I used Clementine…I wasn’t going to break into a new skein just for the bind off!).

I’ve not made a crescent shaped shawl from the bottom up. Once the lace section was done, the rest of the shawl flew as I short-rowed to a very quick finish.

The second project I mentioned was Heidi Kirrmaier’s Buttercup, which is a very sweet little sweater with puffed sleeves and a lace inset. Mine is not quite so sweet, but I got my “I can’t follow a pattern” ya-yas out with this one. Tons of modifications to make the top more into a tunic, to make it a bit slimmer, make the neckline a little tighter, and make the sleeves not quite so little-girl puffed but a grown up puffed. I made it out of Rowan’s Linen Drape, which is beautiful as a garment but was perhaps the split-tiest yarn I’ve ever used. I think the yarn has 1,000,000 plies!!! As the name suggests though, it does drape really nicely. I hope it wears OK with all these plies!! Right now, the sweater is trying to dry in this very wet summer weather we are having thus far, but I did get a snapshot pre-blocking.

See? I do finish projects after all!

Other than this, I’ve some test knits and sample knits on the needles, which I am working through.

But….I’ve gotten things off the needles, WHAT AM I STALKING!?

Good question. I’ve been doing more than stalking. I’ve been winding yarn, as I have some air plane knitting time coming up shortly. Here’s a preview, and while you can see what these cakes are intended to turn into if you go to my Ravelry project page, I will leave it here as images to ponder instead. On the left is a pile of fingering weight yarn from At Bullard Farm and a lone skein from Hedgehog Fibres. On the right is some lace from French Market Fibers.

YUMMY, right?

~Twisted

 

 

Casting On for June!

Jun 072012
 

I do love the first day of the month when classes are posted for the Harry Potter House Cup. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like choosing projects, determining how they will fit the prompts, and casting on in mad abandon. (Speaking of abandon, I do realize I missed WIP Wednesday….Bygones). It was particularly fun this month, and I so appreciated your telling me what to do guidance in sorting through my stash to match up yarn and project. First off, the Selkie Socks by Allison Janocha. I loved these and went looking for colors to match the muted look of the sample. I thought you were a little nuts when you suggested I use some Wollmeise Clementine. Orange? Really? And match it up with Fuchsia for the contrasting stripe? But your reasoning totally made sense. It’s unlikely that I’ll use an orange skein of Wollmeise for a shawl – so why not socks? I’m really happy with the way they’re turning out. The pattern is easy to memorize and I’m almost done with sock #1.

Then we talked about my Line Break by Veera  Välimäki. I love the pattern and will knit it someday in something squishy and soft. But 1,000 yards of garter with a deadline had me not feeling the love so much. I’m going to do Lady Jane instead. Paulina Popiolek‘s pattern has been calling my name for some time now. It has some garter, but then lace at the end for interest. At first I got Elysium for it, but decided I wanted it larger. I’ll use my Saffron Dyeworks Mini Mica for it and do some mods to be able to use at least 1,000 yards to meet the requirements of my Broom proposal. I got a start on it, but need to get cranking! The Elysium I may use for Flukra by Gudrun Johnston some time down the line. Yours is just stunning!

As for your yarn throw down of Gaia Lace vs. Nautilace, I stand by what I said. First off, why create your own suffering by wanting something you that is no longer available?  The Gaia has a softer hand, or sure. However, the stitch definition and gentle shimmer of the Nautilace is just gorgeous. Speaking of which, I’ve got to get going on my Evenstar!! That baby’s not going to knit itself! Happy knitting!

~Purled

Yarn Throwdown: Gaia Lace vs. Nautilace

Jun 032012
 

So you think Gaia Lace is so 2011?? And it’s all about Nautilace!?

Before I start, let me just say that I’m so SO glad that Cephalopod Yarns is offering a silk/animal fiber blend lace yarn. Their colors are amazing, of course, and for me, the sheen of the silk just absolutely brings out the skill of the lovely dyers at Cephalopod. So I am a big fan.

There is a big issue with Gaia Lace. It’s a discontinued yarn. From a disbanded company (everyone knows this but Sanguine Gryphon has split into Cephalopod Yarns and The Verdant Gryphon). Dragonfly Fibers offers a Gaia Lace as well, but the fiber content is different (65 silk/35 cashmere). So I get your point that perhaps it is moot for me to love a yarn I can no longer get.

However, those were some fighting words. “Gaia Lace is so 2011″, huh?

Well, I’ve decided to knit Gaia Lace and Nautilace side by side for a knit-off.

First up, Gaia Lace. As you know, it is one of my favorite yarns and I have a carefully curated collection.  60% silk/40% Mongolian cashmere. I’ve decided to use my Tulip Havran, which is a lavenderish-greyish-pink. I really like the hand of the fabric once this yarn is knitted. The yarn slides through your fingers and the knitted garment is as soft as down.

Next up, Nautilace — 60% silk/40% baby camel down. I have also already managed to collect a few shawls worth of this yarn. I resisted for about a week, maybe two, and then I ordered my first skeins. LOVELY. The color I am using for this project is Asian Arowana, which is a rich, deep red that catches the light even in the part of the skein that is deep inside the coil. OK, fine, I love. The 60% silk is the magic here, I think, as the silk fibers are so saturated with color. Everything I love about Gaia Lace. I had no question about this part of the equation…but baby camel down? I wasn’t sure.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I was knitting the two garments side by side, I would not be able to tell the difference. The Nautilace is lovely, and I don’t want to dis the yarn in any way. But (you knew this was coming — and here come all the disclaimers), to my hand, while I am knitting and the garment pre-blocked and still on the needles, Gaia Lace feels softer, and Nautilace feels silkier/slicker. I prefer to knit Gaia Lace.

I reserve final judgment until I wash and block the Nautilace garment. Because I have a funny feeling that the baby camel down may just wake up and bloom on me!

~Twisted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m No Floozy – WIP Wednesday

May 302012
 

It’s that special day of the week where we whip out the WIPS – Wednesday WIP days stop me from feeling like a complete floozy who has hot, but short lived flings. Time to resurrect those one night stands of the past and reassure them that it was not just all about looks, if that is possible. This Wednesday, I have a lot of ‘splaining to do to some sock projects.  Let’s begin:

One Night Stand #1: For Kantaben

First Date:  April 9, 2011

First Impressions: Loved the Socks That Rock yarn, and there’s nothing like a short row heel combined with your basic Leyburns pattern. The Harlot has made multiple pairs of these, so how can you go wrong?

Follow up Phone Call? Yes, a few times. Got so far as the short row heel on sock one. Then it might have been the way he was a bit too fancy with the faux cross stitch. A real looker, but like most good lookers, a little too attention seeking for my taste.

Plan to See Him Again? Yes. These are for a good friend of mine on the Vineyard, so I outta get them done before I move back. Perhaps a June Detention project.

 

One Night Stand #2: Vanilla Socks

First Date: May 1, 2011

First Impressions: A May Day celebratory date. For Gawd’s sake, it’s Wollmeise. What could go wrong? It’s like being fixed up with your teenage crush. Combine that with making up your own not-so-fancy pattern and you’re good to go. Easy to get along with, and you feel so clever by ‘designing’ these.

Follow Up Phone Call? Here’s the thing. I got as far as going past the mark for the afterthought heel. Then, I had a little trouble. This resulted in the cake of yarn (yes, Wollmeise yarn!) getting nearly demolished when I threw dropped the it out a car window. Oh what a tangled web we wove. We fought, we cried, I apologized over and over, and finally straightened the entire mess out. But it was ugly for a long while.

Plan to See Him Again? Yes. These are great colors for fall. And my sister’s birthday is in September. The plan is deny, deny, deny if the throwing falling out the car window episode is mentioned again.

 

One Night Stand #3:  Cookies for April 

First Date: April 12, 2012

First Impressions: I love this Socktopus yarn. Perfectly round. The pattern is not hard on the eyes either. Easy enough to get along with, and interesting enough to hold my attention. Or so I thought. Perhaps I ought to rename them Cookies for December.

Follow Up Phone Call?: Sadly, no. I got this far on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Plan to see Him Again?: Yes. Both the yarn and the pattern make it a nice sock. One that would be good for me. No drama, no balls of yarn being dragged behind the car while you speed away, no frogging back, a real Steady Eddie. Perhaps this is why I ran after one date. I simply cannot get enough of those bad boys who do you wrong. (See One Night Stand #2 for reference).

I pledge to call each of these up again out of the pile tonight and spend some time with them. Just to prove I am not a floozy.

~Purled

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