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Hand-Spun Hitchhiker Shawl Complete – FO Friday

May 24, 2013 by caityrosey

I haven’t had a FO Friday project to share in many months, but I’m happy to say that I have one today.

Ta Dah! My Hitchhiker Shawl is completed.

I knitted it out of three skeins of my own hand-spun BFL, from Frabjous Fibers.

The yarn was a two-ply of two different variegated colorways: Cathedral (the colorful one) and Potash (whites to dark grays). Of course, the colors are what really pop out, but it was interesting to see how subtle changes in the Potash colors made the Cathedral colors appear differently.

Hitchhiker4 hitchhiker5 hitchhiker6

Good heavens, I knew this yarn would turn out stripey, but I had no idea how stripey. Now I’m prepared for what I’m going to see with all of the chain-plied yarns I’ve been experimenting with. It would be very interesting to see these same colorways spun up as a three- or four-ply, with perhaps two strands of Cathedral and one or two of Potash. We’d get more mixing of the colors. I wonder if  I’d like that better or not. Alas it’s moot as I have no more Cathedral on hand (although I do have another bundle of Potash…).

This pattern is so easy to knit. I knitted this at Pints and Purls after a glass of beer, I knitted this in the car at near-twilight, I knitted this in a rage when I had to get away from my school work for a while –all with no discernible ill effect.

One other thing I love: it’s all garter stitch and doesn’t need blocking. Hah! I don’t really mind blocking, but I don’t take particular pleasure in it either. All that bending over the futon. Hurts my back just thinking about it.

One other accomplishment I’m proud of: I knitted this whole shawl (well, most of it) using a new technique for holding the yarn in my right hand. By the time I was done with this shawl, I had started to knit with that technique naturally. It felt right and comfortable. Sadly, this comfort disappeared entirely when I picked up my next, more complicated project. I reverted to my old ways without realizing it. Gack!

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Results of the 4KCBW Craft Blogger Survey – Part 1

May 23, 2013 by caityrosey

A few weeks ago I invited my readers to participate in a craft blogger survey.  The survey was designed to evaluate the experiences of craft bloggers who participated in the fourth annual Knit Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimmakes blog. The survey included 10 questions:

  • 5 questions asking about self-efficacy/confidence
  • 5 questions asking about perceived gains from participation in blog week

I make no particular claims on the scientific validity of the scales I used. I threw them together in just a few minutes, without much of the testing and review that normally goes into surveys. In fact, a test of internal consistency showed that the self-efficacy scale had a pretty poor level of reliability (0.517). The perceived gains scale, by contrast, had a good reliability score (0.816).  Oh well. The data are still interesting.

This first post will focus on the results of the Self-Efficacy survey. The next post will present the results of the Perceived Gains survey.

Results

Self-Efficacy

Confidence 1

It looks like my fellow craft bloggers are pretty confident using cameras to upload blog content. Nearly 90% of people who responded agreed with the statement. Only about 2% of people who responded indicated slight disagreement.  I’m not surprised. Half the fun of craft blogging is sharing images of what I’ve created. I’m sure others feel that way too and cultivate those skills.

Confidence 2

Results were much more mixed on the subject of shooting and using video on craft blogs. Only about one-third of people who responded indicated “agree” or “slightly agree” on this item. The vast majority are neutral of indicated “disagree” or “slightly disagree.”

Shooting video certainly takes more effort than shooting photos. And fewer people have experience or practice doing it.  I just shot my first crafting video a couple of weeks ago. I had to redo it four or five times, and I wasn’t even trying to achieve something of high quality.

And then, of course, there’s the issue of preoccupations and anxiety. I bet there are a lot of other craft bloggers out there who are a bit afraid of video. I was convinced my voice would sound weird or my fingers would look hag-like.  It’s going to be a long time before I can convince myself to put my face in front of a camera. I’m not ready.

In addition, I think there are fewer useful opportunities to apply video in craft blogging. It comes in handy when demonstrating a crafting technique but I , for one, am not all that interested in watching someone fumble around while sitting on their couch, showing off their latest afghan.  That’s what photos are for.

Confidence 3

I’m sort of surprised by these results. I expected a lower level of self-efficacy with regard to specialized equipment. When people say they feel confident, I wonder what type of equipment they are comfortable with? The question is a bit complex. Since Survey Monkey only lets you ask 10 questions on the free version of their software, I had to compress about 5 questions into one big question. Grrr.

Software: I bet lots of people know how to use iPhoto or similar programs to improve the look of their photos.

Lighting, etc…: I’ve been known to open the blinds or turn on a lamp when taking photos, but I’ve never used a reflector or other fancy stuff.  I am very curious to know what other people do.

Confidence 4

It looks like people are extremely confident publishing blog posts and commenting on other people’s blogs. Not all that surprising given that this was a survey of bloggers participating in a blog carnival.

Confidence 5

I’m not surprised by these results either. People seem  pretty confident in using their chosen blogging platforms. I would  be interested to dig into this question further. Are people confident in using the basic tools? What about more advanced features? I know there are lots of WordPress capabilities that I’ve never touched.

So that’s it for now. I welcome your comments and thoughts on this first set of results. More to come soon.

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Knit Me Up, Scotty! Star Trek Inspired Knits

May 17, 2013 by caityrosey

The new Star Trek movie opens today. It has gotten middling reviews, but I’ll probably see it on the big screen anyway. After all, it features Benedict Cumberbatch (a.k.a. Sherlock) as the villain.

I’m no Star Trek fan girl, but I’m a big fan of the knitted items its fans come up with. I appreciate the love, effort and attention to detail that the fans are willing to invest. Really, it’s no different from the Jane Austen themed knitwear craze.

Here are a few of my favorite Star Trek themed patterns.

Criteria for selection: The pattern has to wow me in some way without creeping me out (I’m, talking to you, enormous-head-of -Captain Kirk hook rug and Zachary Quinto/Spock fan-sweater ).

Trek Girl Dress

This pattern not only evokes the sexy style of women on the original series, it also looks wearable. The skirt is a bit short, but it would probably be OK over leggings. It’s the perfect example of Trekwear that’s not just for conventions. I’m a little worried about that rolled hem though: it seems to want to continue to travel upward. Is that just my imagination?

by Toni Carr, as seen on Ravelry and in Knits for Nerds

Spock Mittens

Such a clever idea. I wonder if it affords any added manual dexterity, useful when you need to work outside in the winter. Again, this is not a sock-you-in-the-face-with-my-geekiness project. It’s subtle.

Spock mittens by Amy Molnar, as seen on Ravelry

Borg Fingerless Gloves

At first glance, these look like innocent cabled mitts, but there’s something much more sinister at work. Here’s how the author describes them:

These intricate cabled gloves are inspired by everyone’s favorite villainous collective, the Borg. The travelling cables reminded me of Seven of Nine and the Borg Queen’s bodacious Borg implants – nanotubes everywhere! Make a pair for yourself or the favorite Trekkie in your life, and remember: We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Borg Fingerless Gloves by Sam, as seen on Ravelry and in Tea and Trilithium’s Ravelry Shop

Junior Crew Member Onesie

It is a truth universally acknowledged that children can get away with wearing tutus, capes, and Freddie masks year round, not just at Halloween. And babies get even more leeway. I’m very tempted to knit one of these next time a friend decides to spawn.

Star Trek Junior by Sara Swärd, as seen on Ravelry

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments »

I fall upon my knitting like a ravening beastie

May 16, 2013 by caityrosey

My life is so full of musts right now.

Must drag myself through thesis revisions.

Must get/keep myself in shape so the wedding dress fits

Must fix the air conditioner/vacuum/house wiring

Must clean the house after months of semi-neglect (all school related)

Must tend to the yard/eradicate dandelions

Must cajole fiancée into choosing a suit for the wedding

Must eat the spinach in the fridge before it goes bad

Must buy plane tickets

Must work at least 8 hours a day because losing this job would be a bad thing

I must do so many things right now. But there are no musts related to my knitting. Or spinning. So when I can’t pursue my musts a moment longer, I fall upon my fiber like a ravening beastie. Oh, sweet strands of twisted bliss! Take this ache out of my chest for just a little while.

Despite my level of stress and busy-ness, I still seem to be making lots of progress on my craft projects. Last night I looked at my Hitchhiker and realized that I was almost done. When did all that knitting happen? How did I miss it? It’s lost in a fibrous fever dream.

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An Experiment in My Knitting Technique

May 8, 2013 by caityrosey

I’ve always been an English style knitter. A thrower. And a rather clumsy one at that.

I learned to knit when I was eight. Mom showed be the ropes (pun intended), but after that I taught myself most of what I know. I knitted in the way that felt most natural to me, clutching the yarn firmly in the fingers of my right hand. And since then, I’ve never deviated from this technique.

When I knit, my whole hand moves, not just my fingers. It works, but it’s terribly inefficient. I’ve observed other knitters forming stitches with only slight flicks of their fingers. It looks so calm. So slick. So fast! I’ve decided that I want to teach myself to knit that way.

Now comes the hard part: overcoming more than twenty years of muscle memory.

I’ve decided to start this process by practicing my new technique  on a simple garter stitch project: The Hitchhiker shawlette. Over the next mile or so of yarn, I’m going to repeat this new technique thousands of times. Will that be enough to retrain my brain? Probably not. But it’s a good first step.

Wish me luck.

By the way, the above is my first knitting video. (*Yay*) After the 4KCBW blog week, I decided that one of my goals for the next year was going to be: getting comfortable with video blogging. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I wanted to get over the first hurdle and simply GET A VIDEO OUT THERE, DARNIT.  Now that I’ve taken that first step, I feel much more confident about what I might be able to produce next time around.  

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Hand Spun Yarn Becomes Hitchhiker Shawlette

May 5, 2013 by caityrosey

Someday I’ll look back at the uneven yarns I plied when I first started spinning with such fondness. Fondness and despair.

I’ll never spin yarn with such character again!

My yarns are smooth and even.

When washed and dried, the hanks hang in perfect parabolas.

I try to over- or under-ply my singles, but my hands will not obey me.

Oh woe is me.

Yeah. Boo hoo.

There’s definitely room for improvement in the yarns I’m spinning right now. But I’m proud to report that I’m finding good uses for them anyway.

Here we have about 1200 yards of 2-ply. Spun from 2 4-oz braids of hand-dyed BFL from Frabjous Fibers in the Cathedral and Potash colorways.

Here we have about 1200 yards of 2-ply. Spun from 2 4-oz braids of hand-dyed BFL from Frabjous Fibers in the Cathedral and Potash colorways.

This BFL is a good example. I got a lot of yardage out of two 4-oz braids, but now I realize I should have plied them a bit tighter.

This yarn is a little bit uneven and not suited to just any project. It needs a pattern that will forgive and even celebrate its slight irregularities.  And it needs to be used for a garment that benefits from a bit of droopiness.

Hitchhiker to the rescue!

hitchhiker

I’m knitting this cute little shawlette as a gift for the friend who will be  photographing my wedding. She won’t accept money in payment, so I am making her something special instead. The rustic texture of my yarn seems to work well with this simple pattern.

I’m only going to use up a few hanks of this batch of hand spun in the making of this hitchhiker. But I’m enjoying the process so much and liking the results so well that I may knit up one or two more. It seems like the ideal gift to keep on hand. Plus, it’s a wonderful travel project.

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, Spinning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments »

Hand Spun Yarn: Most of the Time, I Slap It

April 30, 2013 by caityrosey

Suzy Sells Sea Shells recently blogged about the recent craze in thwacking hand spun yarns after they’ve been washed.

Now the trend is thwacking yarns. It is all over the place. Do you thwack? Why aren’t you thwacking? You aren’t finished unless you’ve washed and thwacked!

This thwacking concept reminded me irresistibly of this scene from Some Like It Hot. Fast forward to the following time mark: 1:24.

Most of the time, I slap it!

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, Spinning | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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