Work Log - 24 October, Tuesday

Outlander Inspired Fingerless Mitts

I love fingerless gloves. They're especially handy keeping my hands warm while playing the violin outdoors in the winter. I had crocheted a pair several years ago, but one went by way of the sock trick (you know - you put two in the wash, and only one comes out?). Anyway, around my third time through the Outlander TV series, I started taking more notice of the outfits and accessories the women were wearing. Since I had a need, I decided to have another go at a pair of fingerless gloves, and this is what I came up with. Enjoy! I started by measuring around my palm, at the base of my index and pinky fingers. I measured my right hand, since it's a little bigger. In fact, I couldn't find my tape measure, so my daughter put a piece of washi tape around my hand, then stuck it to a piece of paper. I cast on my stitches until they were the same length, then added two stitches for the seam. Working in a flat piece, I started with about an inch of seed stitch, then separa...

Project #3 - Kids' Hats

Started: before 10/1/23 Finished: The kids bought me a pound of carded mohair for my birthday. I had done a couple of samples with the spindles, but when I got the spinning wheels, I was very excited to try it. It went much more easily with the spinning wheel. I told them I would make them hats for Christmas - there are 5 kids (four kids and a +1). I started by spinning a bobbin of mohair. I wasn't sure if the mohair alone would be enough for five hats, so I decided to ply it with some wool. I found a black wool in the roving my uncle gave me, so I went with that. 2023.09.22 - Finished the first ply of the first skein. 2023.09.27 - Finished the second ply, then plyed them together. I thought the black wool was natural, but my fingers were smudged when I spun it, so I think it is dyed. 2023.09.28 - Washed the first skein and started the 2nd skein. The water came out almost the color of apple juice, and I think it's because some of the wool was dyed a gold-ish color. When it'...

Lessons from a Rigid Heddle Loom - Part 1

I hadn't realized it had been almost a month since my last post. Apologies, for anyone searching for more. This post should probably be titled "Fiber Arts Requires Patience". This week, I'm working on a project that has been on my to-do list for awhile. I was gifted with an old rigid heddle loom that had spent some time (i.e. many years) in an old barn, after the previous owner stopped using it. I also had some worsted weight acrylic yarn left over from a sweater project, and I liked the colors, so I thought I'd use it to try out the loom. The problem was that my cats had decided they preferred the yarn to the litter box. *sigh* No a problem. I have six cats, and I love them all. This is life with cats and yarn. I used my yarn swift and bundled the yarn up into large hanks. I threw the yarn in the bathtub with the hottest water I could get and added a few squirts of shampoo and some vinegar. I left it to soak for about 30 minutes, then rinsed it and squeezed it o...

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