The Land of Wool and Honey

Silk. Or, The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of.

A few weeks ago, I treated myself to quite possibly the most luxurious gift I've ever given myself: a skein of handdyed silk from one of the most beautiful yarn purveyors out there.  Just for being me.  (Well, and Market Research.  That's what I keep telling myself now.)

 

 
 

I had been lusting after it for months, putting it first on my wishlist, then tempting myself on a daily basis by placing it in my shopping cart, taking it out, putting it back in....you know the game.  (Don't tell me you don't know the game.)  It was all I could think about.   Its drape, its silky sheen, the perfect pattern to show off its opulent beauty.  It was as though all the yarn I had in my possession (ahem, $30K), just couldn't fill the void.  (I am only now realizing how juvenille that must sound.)  I decided that I couldn't possibly take it any longer.  I needed it.  I deserved it.  I checked my PayPal balance, held my breath and confirmed my order.

It was--is--even more exquisite in the flesh.  (Naturally.)

So it is extra fitting, then, that this heavenly yarn single-handedly kept me from sleeping on Monday night.  (Actually, it was my next door neighbor, a vintner who decided that 1:30 a.m. was the best possible time of day to spray his 30-acre vineyard.)   There I was, wide awake, and all I could do was think about this yarn, fortuitously tossed into my knitting bag five minutes before I left work that afternoon. 

Two hours of witching-hour knitting later:

 

A Burberry-inspired cowl.  This sassy little pattern is found here.

 

Dreamy.

Monogamy: Just A Glimmer in My Eye

I've been taking a good, hard look at my spinning life these days and I realize I've got a problem.  I had no idea it had gotten this out of hand.

I mean, I kinda knew, but it only became obvious when I discovered out of the eight bobbins I own, there's only one with nothing on it.

(L to R: "Razor Love" Merino roving dyed by yours truly--not pictured is the second bobbin currently on the wheel; 50/50 Merino/silk in colorway Unnamed But So Freakin' Awesome It Doesn't Even Matter by Hedgehog Fibres; slightly-felted Merino from Old Sheep.  Unfortunately, I did not order my Merino felted.  Kinda not the point.)

(50/50 cashmere and silk from Spirit Trail Fiberworks, a gift from Cindy.  Seriously.  Cashmere?  Why haven't I finished this yet?!?)

 

(Merino from Forest Fiber Works.   Bright enough fer ya?)

 

(Superwash Merino from Madeline Tosh.  I've only had this going since, oh, let's see--November?)

 

(The token free bobbin.)

I've got my hands in so many piles of fluff, I can't seem to claw my way out of it.

When it comes to knitting, I'm about as promiscuous as they come.  I have almost no guilt about abandoning projects at any time, for any reason.  Just a half-sleeve left to go before the sweater's done?  Eh.  It'll get done.  Next week.  Maybe.  Only made it as far as the cast-on before that hat got boring?  No problem--just shove it in a bag, stuff it in the closet and fuggedaboutit.

But with spinning, I really enjoy the sense of completion.  From start to finish, you're only talking about a six-to eight-hour commitment for a 4 oz. roving.  (Top, sliver, whatever.)  Who can't devote six hours to one project?!?

The fact is, there are several reasons to keep your spinning projects to a bare minimum, most of which I don't need to explain to you.   (I think you already know.)  But humor me, here.  I'm talking out loud.  Coaching myself through the "why" things need to change.  This is my Step One.

1. Tension.  Unless you happen to be a Master Spinner (or a copious note-taker), chances are your tension is different this month than it was last January.  Most likely, you're a better spinner.  But even if you're not (which I find highly doubtful), your tension is just different.  You may be drafting more evenly.  Treadling at a slower rate.  Maybe you forgot which ratio you were using the last time.  The drive band on your wheel may have worn out a little.  (I know, I know--you definitely should have changed your drive band at least three times since January 2009.  In a perfect world, you would have.)  There's nothing more disappointing than sitting down to ply what you think is going to be a well-balanced yarn, only to realize the singles on Bobbin #1 are kinky and riddled with energy, and on Bobbin #2, they resemble something more akin to pencil roving.  It's just not pretty.   But when you're diligent about sticking to one project at a time, it's more likely that you'll spend a little time every day for about a week (Perfect World again) creating something quite consistent.
2. Actually getting more done.  It's like the tree in the forest question--and with this one, I have a sneaking suspicion we may never know the answer.  If a spinner spends time seeing each individual project through to completion, would the spinner actually finish more projects?  When you spread yourself so thin that you're working on 12 projects at a time--20 minutes here, one hour there--in essence, you're not really getting anything done at all.  (Yes, I can hear you, you process people.  I get it--it's not all about the finished product.)  But you've got to admit that every once in awhile, it's nice to finish something.  So you can start something else.
3. Stash Guilt.  Really?  Do I need to say it?  There is such a thing as too much fiber.  But not in the way you think I mean.  Actually, there really isn't such thing as too much yarn, too much fiber, too much stash.  (Let's not get crazy here.)  What I'm saying is this: there's such a thing as too much mediocre stash.  And what's the best way to get rid of your stash that you don't really love so you can buy new and exciting stash that you do?  (Hint: ends with "-use it".)  More on this later.  

Mostly, I feel guilty because I try hard to keep my spinning simple.  Nine times out of ten, I use the same technique every time I spin.  I have the same favorite fiber haunts.  I am fiercely loyal to a select few wool breeds.  I only have one wheel--Chauncey, my Matchless--and I try not to spin on Pip, the shop's Ladybug very often, as it's more of a display model than anything else.  I don't plan on ever buying another wheel--there's nothing mine can't do (especially with the assortment of  add-on features).  I would never sell Chauncey, even if I sold the shop and quit spinning forever.  I just wouldn't.  And, unlike several friends of mine, I don't feel the need for another wheel because I only need one.  (It's almost as foreign a concept as having a second bathroom in our house.  When there are just two of us, why on earth would we need more than one?)  I feel guilty about having so many projects on the wheel because I haven't finished much lately and because I'm trying to use--and be happy--what I have.  Having too much at one time puts me over the edge.

Which is why this is going to sound weird.  Stay with me.

I'm not an advocate of buying less for the principal of having less, I'm advocating on behalf of buying less rightnow, so as to achieve a different goal.  Spin like a madwoman now, finish up those projects, tear through that stash as if someone's holding a gun to my head and then, when all the bobbins are free and clear, my favorite part about this whole process gets to happen:

           4.  BUY MORE.

There's so much gorgeous fiber out there, I'm tripping over myself every gosh darn day to get at it.

I'm trying to use what I have, not because I don't like Stuff, but because I like Stuff so much.  I need to spin through the fiber that was so hearbreakingly beautiful last year month week so I can experience the exquisite beauty of the fiber on the market this week.  It's like the consumer's version of Be Here Now.  I don't want less, I actually want more.  This is my plan to get it.

I dare you to tell me I can't have it all.          

Next!

The spotty teapot showed up in today's mail and right after a photo shoot,

I cast on for a new tea cozy.

Spot of Tea

Confession:  I don't drink coffee.  I quit about a year ago and I don't even miss it.  Really.

Gradually, over the past 18 months or so, coffee has somehow lost its luster.  Which is crazy--sacrilegious, even--because for more years than I can remember, coffee has been one of the shiniest stars in my life.  Morning, noon and late, late night, I couldn't get enough.  Americanos, lattes, mochas, black coffee, coffee ice cream, even.   Espresso, straight up?  I could dig it.  I was even happy to drink the dregs from a forgotten mug left in the microwave overnight.  (Is that wrong?)  New studies (like this one from National Geographic) would be published about the amazing effects of caffeine--most specifically derived from coffee--and as a former roaster myself, intimate with coffee's alchemy, my chest would puff up with pride.  Of course it's amazing.  It's a gol dang Miracle.  There was nothing you could say about that beautiful, brown elixir that would deter me from partaking every chance I got.  Coffee was the only missing link to my otherwise perfect body chemistry.  The cherry on top.  The peanut butter to my jelly. 

These days, it's more like the eggplant to my ketchup.  Gross and gross.

Thankfully, it's not just me.  A few months ago, my best friend Allie and I were discussing our favorite vehicle for caffeination and were both shocked (and secretly thrilled!) to discover neither of us were really jonesing for joe anymore.  Too harsh on the stomach, too dehydrating, too high a high followed by such a low low.  Tweaky, hungry, cranky?  That was me about 12 months ago.

No, thanks.  I can do b@#%h all on my own.

Sure, I'll have a latte every few months or so (usually when simultaneously indulging in the best breakfast around), and really, on a lazy, rainy day, there's nothing better than a steaming hot cup of Blend Six.  But sadly, Coffee?  This is where we say goodbye.

*****

Insert new object of affection here.  Tea.

Glorious, fortifying, cleansing, caffeinating tea.  Green, black, herbal, tisane, hot, iced, yerba mate--you name it, I'll drink it.  The new Life in my Blood. 

And what goes hand-in-hand with tea?  Knitting!  A knitted tea cozy, to be more precise. 

Pattern:  Autumn Tea Cozy by aemmeleia.

Started: Thursday, June 17th, 2010.

Finished: Friday, June 18th, 2010.

Yarn:  Noro Kureyon--exactly one skein.  (I had about five inches leftover.)

Needles:  US 7 Addi Turbos--16" circular & Brittany dpns in US 7.

Size:  One.  Shop sample for Wool & Honey.

Modifications:   Not a one.

This cozy will look perfect on the polka-dotted teapot I just ordered.  From England.

I'm nothing if I'm not fanatical.

Bring on the Zing

My current knitting project:

 

My current spinning project:

 

Tell me, dear knitters, when given the choice, does grey get you going or do you go cuckoo for color?

Baby Booties

 

Pattern: Wool & Honey booties, modified from Zoe Mellor's roll-top booties pattern (Rav link).

Started: Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Finished: Friday, June 4th, 2010

Yarn: Claudia Handpainted fingering weight in Desert Dusk--less than one skein.

Needles: Susan Bates US 1s--10" straights (there's a first!)  and Lantern Moon US 1 dpns in Ebony.

Size:  6 months.  Shop sample for Wool & Honey. (Again, sorry about the broken link--we're working on putting the new site live!)

Notes:  I'll be teaching a class on these cuties on Saturdays, June 19th & 26th from 2-4 p.m.--I figured I had better get a sample done!

 

100% Michigan Made

Part of the changing the name of the shop last week was to do just that--to change the name.  But part of the change was an effort to switch up the shop's inventory a bit, placing the focus on products with a little more tooth.  Which is to say, carrying more products (yarn, fiber and gifts) with a story.  Stepping away (at least to a degree) from a few of the larger "big box" yarn companies that are peppered throughout every yarn shop in the Midwest to highlight some of the equally-deserving smaller brands.  More companies that comply with Fair Trade standards.  Unique artisans and women-owned businesses.  Highly sought-after indie collections (my lips are sealed!)   The best yarn money can buy. 

More than anything else I'm trying to achieve, though, is showcasing the wealth of local, Michigan-made talent.  We've got scads of locally-made yarn and fiber in the shop right now and have for years--Elizabeth's Designs, Northern Dreams Alpaca, llama from Animal Tracks Farm, It's So Ewe handspun, Aral Peak Alpacas, Vibrant Fibers, Procraftination Creations, Spun Honey Fibers....and that doesn't even scratch the surface of what's here.  Everyone loves local products; it's almost always the first question that comes out of every customer's mouth: "Where are your local yarns/fiber/gifts?"  

Well, I'm here today to introduce another Michigan-made product.  And this is a big one.  As in, brand new off the production line.  And right now, Wool & Honey is the only yarn shop in the United States where you can get it (er, them):

100% Michigan-made knitting needles from Indian Lake Artisans in Rochester, MI.        

 

Size 10--arrowhead topper--in birch, cherry and walnut.

 
 

Size 11--acorn topper--in birch, cherry and walnut.
  

 

Size 15--log cabin topper--in birch, cherry and walnut.

 
Look at that detail!

Here's a description of these beautiful needles from the artists' website:

"Indian Lake Artisans is the home of the hexagonal knitting needles. We are dedicated artists handcrafting unique and beautiful products to enrich your life and the enjoyment of craft arts.

All of our knitting needles are handmade with great care and attention to detail. Each needle is sanded by hand and finished with natural beeswax that enhances the color and grain of the wood. The walnut, cherry and birch wood that we use is very light in weight and warm to the touch. The hexagonal shape of the needles feels very comfortable in your hands and helps alleviate hand strain and symptoms associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. Everyone from 9 to 90 will love knitting with these special knitting needles.  

We are located in southeastern Michigan and use the services from Michigan companies in the production of everything we make.

We hope you enjoy creating with our needles as much as we have enjoyed making them for you."

Not only is Wool & Honey the first shop in the U.S. to carry Pam and Mark's patented needles, but we're the first shop in Michigan to do it.  In fact, we've gained the exclusive right to carry these needles in northern Michigan, so you won't find them anywhere else Up North. 

 

How's that for unique?

Anniversary Cowl

A Thick 'N Quick project for a Fried 'N Useless brain.

 
  
Pattern: Birthday Cowl by Nova Seals.  Free pattern can be found here.

Started: Saturday, May 29th, 2010

Finished: Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Yarn: Andy's Merino in Mercado de Merida--less than one skein.

Needles: US 7 Addi Turbos--16" circular

Size:  One.  First official shop sample for Wool & Honey.  (Sorry about the broken link--we're working on putting the new site live!)

Modifications: Technically none, but there was a little "whoops".  (As there always is.)  I cast on my 99 stitches and without looking, barrelled through to the pattern repeats, wheras I should have started out with three rows of garter.  No matter.  After binding off at the end, I just picked up the 99 stitches from my cast-on row and executed the three garter rows in the opposite direction.  Only a Master Knitter would suspect.  (And really, I only know one of those.  Urban legend, perhaps?)   

Notes:  Love it.  Although I must admit--I haven't yet found a cowl I don't love.  This particular cowl is a simple, two-row repeat project that makes for good Sex and the City knitting.  Brilliant.  This is also the first (full) project that I've knit with Andy's Merino--my initial test swatch/mini sock doesn't count.  Another winner--so glad I decided to bring back this 100% American-made company to the shop's offerings.