Mr GreenJeans!

I have started! I decided that I really need to get to work and start on this cardigan. I have been wanting to make it for some time now, and since I have that 100% Lambswool from a reclaimed sweater, I figured it will become my April project.

I have to have goals, or it seems that things just don't get done. I guess my knitting is that way, project oriented. Though I do feel I am a very texture type person and I love the feel of the yarn as I knit.

We had some company for the last few days, and last night, I had the bright idea to make chicken wings, buffalo style. Well, for three men and two ladies, do you know how long that takes? I started at 4:15, between cutting the legs up, coating them and frying them. It was nearly 6:30 by the time I had them all done and we were able to eat! I feel like I was in the kitchen all night and didn't get anything else done. But, they came out good and there were only 6 left over. So I can't complain, but I don't think I will be doing that again anytime soon.

My socks are in the finishing stretch, however, this is the first time I am going to be coming VERY close to running out of yarn. It's a good thing that they are for me and if I do run out, I will just use a complimentary Opal to finish off the toe.

Knitting

I am knitting on my sock, desperately trying to get it done before the end of the month! But, at least I am knitting!

The yarn from the Lord and Taylor sweater is just so yummy. I am hoping to get it washed up today. I want to finish pulling apart another sweater so I can do the two at one time. I am not sure that I will get that done though, as it is raining outside and I have learned to ONLY pull a sweater apart outside so that my allergies don't rear their ugly head. However, I really NEED to get a ball winder. There is just no doubt in my mind that that would make things SO much easier to accomplish. The swift has helped to reduce my winding immensely and I am so grateful that my brother was able to get that done for me so quickly.

I have been thinking about purchasing two Dale of Norway booklets. They are on sale right now and I have seen some of their patterns before, but I do not know for sure what is included in these two booklets. It is one of the bad things about shopping online and not having a LYS to go to.

Obsessions.

Can you really become obessed with something so quickly?

This happens to me quite often. I get so involved in something new, that I don't even think about the world around me. It fills my time and my day and I am happy.

Today is Wednesday and I left for the 9 am opening of the Salvation Army and I was there for nearly an hour and a half JUST looking through the sweaters!

First, I did find a few that I or R will wear now and next winter. I found her a lovely Lambswool zip up cardigan. I was so glad she liked it and that it fit her so nicely. Otherwise I would have taken it apart.

I did find a number of very good buys and they were all half off! So that was even better. I used some of my saved fun money and now I have several more sweaters to take apart for new things. I am so excited!

Yesterday I washed the "Mr Green Jeans" wool and also that Shetland that I got the first time I went "reclaiming". They both came out just wonderfully and I will work on getting Mr Green Jeans balled up tomorrow.

Today I worked on a GORGEOUS Lord and Taylor, 100% Lambswool sweater. It is such a fine yarn, 2 strands. If I use it I will have to double it. I will wash this and then leave it in a hank until I can get a ball winder, there is no way I am doing that one by hand!

I have to get to knitting though. I think I have only picked up my socks twice in a week. I need to make the time to get those done before the end of the month. I really would like to get one pair done a month for the year.

Fiber Goodness

100% Wool from Ireland Cakes! Aren't these lovely?!! This is the total hall from the sweater that I reclaimed. I just love how cute they are like this.

This is my first Dish Cloth from the Ravelry list Weekly Dishcloths. I really like the pattern and hope to do more of them to have on hand for gifts.
Here is my next quest. It is a reclaimed sweater that I will make into Mr. Green Jeans, a cardigan that I have been wanting to make and trying to figure out how with having no real yarn budget anymore.

I am so lucky to have this swift that my brother made for me. It is really working out awsome for me.

Good Things!

First, I need to say thank you to Felicia and Bob for the wonderful offering of wood scraps for our wood burner. I met Felicia last week at my first Knit Night and she gladly offered the scraps to me if I were to come and pick them up. They have already helped me to get the "fire" going in the morning and to get us toasty warm again. It's a good thing!

Now, on to what I have been doing, among other things, these days.

I was able to find a pattern for a swift on line and I asked my brother, who is a wood worker, if he could make one for me without too much trouble.

Imagine my surprise when my father showed up with it this weekend! I was and still am so excited.


This was my first ball made with my new swift. Isn't it a good thing? I sure think so. This is going to help out my arms so much from the pain that winding around the backs of two large diningrom chairs does.

And here is the whole sweaters worth of Wool from Ireland that I bought at the thrift store this past week. Don't they look great?
WhileI don't really like to quote Martha, I sure think they are a good thing!

It will be even better for the next sweaters that I unwind, as then they will fit on the swift properly. Right now, I can only put three of the pegs in. BUT, those three pegs do measure out to 36 inches, so atleast I have approximate measurements now on the yarn. I am not sure it is very accurate, I have a feeling there is more yarn not less.

I am currently working on the blue wool/acrylic blend, that I hope to make Clapotis with. I am doing it outside as my allergies are still bothering me.

No Knitting

Well, my allergies have reared their ugly head.

I guess I can knit with wool, but I can't rip back sweaters in the house, or without a mask for that matter. My nose ran all day yesterday, to the point where I couldn't do a thing without having a tissue near my face. I didn't sleep the night before, so I dragged my butt all day long. Finally took a two hour nap around 6 and then got up and went to bed! I did manage to sleep, and I did have the thought about an allergy pill in the afternoon and so far this morning, that seems to be working, but I look like death!

I go somethings done around the house yesterday, but today I will have to do my Friday running around to get ready for the holiday weekend.

SO there probably won't be any knitting today either.

I have decided to ONLY go to the Salvation Army to look for sweaters on Wednesdays, as that I have come to find out, is family day and they usually offer discounts on three to four different color tags..... I wish I had known that Tuesday. I went and picked out a few really nice ones, but I can't do anything with them for a few days and these allergies calm down.

OH! I ask my brother to make a swift for me. I found directions on the net and they use scrape wood. Well he called me yesterday to say he did it on his lunch break! I am so excited. He will send it with dad, so I will have it later today.

Before and After

Here are just a few of the sweaters that I purchased at the SA that I have begun to reclaim the yarn on. This first one is the "Northern Isles" 70% Shetland new wool, 30 Acrylic in a fingering weight, two strands held together. When I took it apart, I lost the V neck area of the front, but as you can see in a later photo, I have more than enough yarn from this one. It was a men's XL.

This is the one "Made in the Republic of Ireland" of Pure New Wool. And believe me, it looked like it was taken out of the gift box, put into a drawer and NEVER worn! I am not sure of the size of this one, I would say it was a Ladies Medium. A truly odd shape as the arms were way long. I didn't try it on, and at may have fit me as it was, but I want to make something more to my liking with it.

I was so hesitant to put this into HOT tap water, as the instructions said in the article on reclaiming yarn. So instead, I did tepid water, with a little liquid Ivory soap and it came out nearly free of any waviness. It just came out so yummy it makes me want to find MORE of it.

This is that Shetland Wool Sweater that I talked about yesterday. It is 100% Shetland Pure Wool in a Men's Large. I was able to reclaim ALL of the yarn from this. It is a fingering weight or perhaps even lace weight yarn, two strands held together and it was so soft and squooshy knit up. It was the first sweater I took apart and so far the easiest. I have saved the label, from this and all the others, simple because I believe this is probably a vintage sweater, that once again was probably given as a gift and never worn.

The back pile of skeins, in the next picture, is of the Woolrich, Men's XL sweater. This is also vintage, because when was the last time you saw a tag that said "Made in British Hong Kong"? It is 85% wool and 15% nylon. I will probably use this for hats, scarves and mittens that match for all of us, with enough left over to make something else.....

The skeins in the front of the picture are of the "J. Crew" Mens Large sweater in 100% wool. This is the one that I just loved how smooshy it was knit up. I am hoping that it will be as nice when I do it. This one must have sat in a very dusty corner, because as I was taking it apart, I decided to do it outside, you could just see all the dust flying out of it as I went along.

NOW, here are the pictures of the wool from Ireland and the wool/acrylic blend sweaters while drying in my bathroom. Perhaps you can see how nicely the Ireland wool has straightened. the other still has a bit of kink in it, but much less than it did have.

One of the nice things about doing this with yarn, is that you get very LONG skeins. Most of the fronts and backs are continuous pieces of yarn. HOWEVER, I have learned, rather well, how to felt two pieces of yarn together. It really isn't that hard, just takes some practice and is well worth learning how to do.

The one thing, or rather two things I am going to need are a swift and a ball winder though. Currently, I am making due with what I have, and that is, an embroidery stretcher that I am putting the yarn onto to skein it. I usually ball wind by hand and with this much yarn, my wrists and fingers will never make it. I will have to keep it in skeins until I can get one.

On a sad note, my coffee maker died this morning. It's a good thing it was after it perked the pot of coffee. I truly enjoy my coffee in the mornings.... so I will be having to buy one today.