Elements
Mint (Chocolate) Chip
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Batt-tastic!
I've been having fun creating new batts the past few days!
Elements
Mint (Chocolate) Chip
Elements
Mint (Chocolate) Chip
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Fresh From the Dyepot
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Weaving with Handspun (or Noro)
Ever wondered how difficult it is to weave with yarn that has long sections of color? (like handspun or Noro) How do you manage to get the color sequence to match up when winding your shuttle? Actually it's not too difficult, it just takes a little extra planning unless you have a stack of extra stick shuttles or bobbins.
Supplies:
yarn, 2 bobbins or shuttles that are exactly the same, small postal scale, paper and pencil (or calculator)
Start with winding one bobbin until it is full, and cut the yarn from the main ball. Weigh both the full bobbin and the empty one and find the difference in their weights. (For example my full bobbin weighed .87 oz, and the empty one weighed .32 oz, .87 - .32 = .55, so there was approx .55 oz of yarn on the full bobbin.)
Next wind your skein of yarn into balls, weighing as you go to make sure none of them are heavier than your calculated weight. Note: Be sure to keep track of the order that you wound the balls.
Finally re-wind the first bobbin directly onto the empty one (notice how the yarn tail that was the first you pulled off your skein is now ready for you to weave first). You are now ready to begin weaving. When you are finished weaving with the first bobbin of yarn, then you can continue by winding the first (then second, third, etc) ball to your shuttle.
Supplies:
yarn, 2 bobbins or shuttles that are exactly the same, small postal scale, paper and pencil (or calculator)
Start with winding one bobbin until it is full, and cut the yarn from the main ball. Weigh both the full bobbin and the empty one and find the difference in their weights. (For example my full bobbin weighed .87 oz, and the empty one weighed .32 oz, .87 - .32 = .55, so there was approx .55 oz of yarn on the full bobbin.)
Next wind your skein of yarn into balls, weighing as you go to make sure none of them are heavier than your calculated weight. Note: Be sure to keep track of the order that you wound the balls.
Finally re-wind the first bobbin directly onto the empty one (notice how the yarn tail that was the first you pulled off your skein is now ready for you to weave first). You are now ready to begin weaving. When you are finished weaving with the first bobbin of yarn, then you can continue by winding the first (then second, third, etc) ball to your shuttle.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Woven Tote Bag Tutorial: Part 1 (Calculations)
Would you like to make a woven tote bag? This series of tutorials will show you how to make a lined tote bag of any size.
Supplies:
warp and weft yarn of your choice (I used 5/2 weaving cotton for the warp, and worsted yarn for the weft, exact yardage needed will depend on the size desired)
Rigid Heddle loom
?? dent reed (I used a 8 dent reed on this project to get a weft faced weave)
iron on interfacing (this will be attached to the back side of your weaving to stabilize it for sewing and durability, because of this you will probably want to beat your weft pics a little closer than you do usually to keep it from showing through)
lining fabric (quilters cotton fabrics work well)
sewing machine & thread
optional: tote bag handles (you could purchase these or make tote straps from extra lining fabric), magnetic purse snap
Part 1: Calculations
How big do you want your finished bag to be? (You can always base your desired measurements on you favorite-sized handbag or totebag)
Width:
Height:
Depth:
Seam Allowance (SA) for sewing: (I would recommend using a 1/2 inch seam allowance)
Width of weaving = Width + Depth + SA + SA =
Length of weaving = Height + Height + Depth + SA + SA =
These are the desired finished measurements of your woven piece. Be sure to add in a little extra length to your warp to account for loom waste.
Now you can warp you loom, weave a header, and start weaving.
(Note: since both selvedges will be sewn into the sides of the bag, you can just leave a yarn tail on the side of the piece when re-filling your shittle instead of hiding the ends in the weaving.)
Next tutorial: Weaving with yarns with long color sections. (like Noro or handspun)
Supplies:
warp and weft yarn of your choice (I used 5/2 weaving cotton for the warp, and worsted yarn for the weft, exact yardage needed will depend on the size desired)
Rigid Heddle loom
?? dent reed (I used a 8 dent reed on this project to get a weft faced weave)
iron on interfacing (this will be attached to the back side of your weaving to stabilize it for sewing and durability, because of this you will probably want to beat your weft pics a little closer than you do usually to keep it from showing through)
lining fabric (quilters cotton fabrics work well)
sewing machine & thread
optional: tote bag handles (you could purchase these or make tote straps from extra lining fabric), magnetic purse snap
Part 1: Calculations
How big do you want your finished bag to be? (You can always base your desired measurements on you favorite-sized handbag or totebag)
Width:
Height:
Depth:
Seam Allowance (SA) for sewing: (I would recommend using a 1/2 inch seam allowance)
Width of weaving = Width + Depth + SA + SA =
Length of weaving = Height + Height + Depth + SA + SA =
These are the desired finished measurements of your woven piece. Be sure to add in a little extra length to your warp to account for loom waste.
Now you can warp you loom, weave a header, and start weaving.
(Note: since both selvedges will be sewn into the sides of the bag, you can just leave a yarn tail on the side of the piece when re-filling your shittle instead of hiding the ends in the weaving.)
Next tutorial: Weaving with yarns with long color sections. (like Noro or handspun)
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A little Weaving
Isn't it amazing how different the same yarn can look when it is used in a different project?
After finishing up my V-Junkie Socks there was quite a bit of yarn left, so I decided to weave the leftovers into a pooling scarf. I love how the color transations came out in this scarf.
And of course I had a little "helper" who wanted his picture taken too.
After finishing up my V-Junkie Socks there was quite a bit of yarn left, so I decided to weave the leftovers into a pooling scarf. I love how the color transations came out in this scarf.
And of course I had a little "helper" who wanted his picture taken too.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
New Yarn Bases!
There are two new yarn bases making their way into the shop!
First off is a Aran Superwash Merino. 2-ply, 181 yds per 100 gram skein. This yarn is SO soft, once you pick up a skein you won't want to put it down!
Also new is "Bamboozled Sock" Bamboozled Sock is a four-ply superwash merino and bamboo yarn, with great stitch definition, will knit up beautifully in any cable or rib pattern. Very soft, suitable for next to skin wear such as socks, fingerless gloves, baby clothes, shawls, and more. Very soft and strong, the bamboo in this blend adds a soft shimmery shine to the yarn.
Both are superwash yarns, so they should not felt if they happen to get tossed into the wash, but it is recomended to handwash your hand-knits to help prevent unnecesary wear.
New skeins will be stocked as I have time to dye them. :)
First off is a Aran Superwash Merino. 2-ply, 181 yds per 100 gram skein. This yarn is SO soft, once you pick up a skein you won't want to put it down!
Also new is "Bamboozled Sock" Bamboozled Sock is a four-ply superwash merino and bamboo yarn, with great stitch definition, will knit up beautifully in any cable or rib pattern. Very soft, suitable for next to skin wear such as socks, fingerless gloves, baby clothes, shawls, and more. Very soft and strong, the bamboo in this blend adds a soft shimmery shine to the yarn.
Both are superwash yarns, so they should not felt if they happen to get tossed into the wash, but it is recomended to handwash your hand-knits to help prevent unnecesary wear.
New skeins will be stocked as I have time to dye them. :)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Hot off the needles...
More socks off the needles in the last few days.
For my mom-in-law, "Kiila"
on wool/nylon/silk from Crock-O-Dye in a lovely semi-solid denim color. I love how these socks turned out. I'm tempted to make myself a pair with this pattern, but I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle this particular cable again, by the time I was done with the gusset I was sick of the cable, so I just knit the leg without the cable.
And a basic pair for the hubby from my own pattern, "Toe up custom-fit socks"
For my mom-in-law, "Kiila"
on wool/nylon/silk from Crock-O-Dye in a lovely semi-solid denim color. I love how these socks turned out. I'm tempted to make myself a pair with this pattern, but I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle this particular cable again, by the time I was done with the gusset I was sick of the cable, so I just knit the leg without the cable.
And a basic pair for the hubby from my own pattern, "Toe up custom-fit socks"
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New for 2012: Yarn (and Fiber) Lovers Club
New shop special for 2012 from Little Monkey's Stitch n Spin
Starting today, I will be mailing out these "Yarn Lovers Club" cards with orders from the shop. When you make an order, simply write the date of your purchase in one of the circles. When your card is full, send me a email or convo with your purchase dates, and I'll send you a coupon code good for 30% off any one order!
The fine print: Promotion applies to orders placed on or after Jan 1, 2012. One "stamp" per order. Orders combined for a refund on shipping count as 1 order.
Starting today, I will be mailing out these "Yarn Lovers Club" cards with orders from the shop. When you make an order, simply write the date of your purchase in one of the circles. When your card is full, send me a email or convo with your purchase dates, and I'll send you a coupon code good for 30% off any one order!
The fine print: Promotion applies to orders placed on or after Jan 1, 2012. One "stamp" per order. Orders combined for a refund on shipping count as 1 order.
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