Smatterings

  • Table Top Swift

    round and round she goes..

    Swift

      "Heavy Duty Table Top Swift"

    I asked Chris to make me a heavy duty swift to use with my Electric Skein Winders.  I figured that reducing the drag on the winders would make re skeining much faster and save the motors from straining.  With that in mind, and that we already had terrific adjustable arm assemblies in production for the winders, I asked him to build a heavy base and fit it with ball bearings so that it would spin freely.  I asked for other things, like long, large diameter pegs for holding the yarn.  He did all of that and then some.  I wondered if there should be a clamp on it but he said he didn’t think it was necessary, the base is pretty heavy.  After using it for the last 6 weeks, I think he’s right.  I haven’t needed one.  The other day I asked him to put a hook in the wall so that I could hang it up when I wasn’t using it. That took some convincing.

    2 responses to “Table Top Swift”

    1. Roxie

      The man is GOOD! The swift is splendid. Long may it spin!!

    2. Carol

      That is fabulous!

  • walk with me wednesday.. small worlds

    Even as a child, I was fascinated by what I saw as small worlds, miniature gardens.  Last month my niece came to visit.  As we walked down to the barn one morning during her stay, I noticed that the snow fleas * were out, in force.  It is a bit hard to pretend that they aren’t there when the snow is literally peppered with them, jumping around.  If you aren’t familiar with snow fleas, you might know them as "springtails".  As she reached down to grab a fistful of snow, probably to eat, I said, (not wanting to alarm her or gross her out too much) ooohhh… look, the springtails are here!  At this point I’m thinking that she’ll never want to play in the snow after seeing all of those bugs.  But, a wonderful thing happened.  She said, ‘It’s like Horton Hears a Who.  There’s a whole world in my hand.’  And that was the start of a wonderful conversation. 

    On my last good snow shoe hike, I found these little gardens, worlds unto themselves.

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    When I see something like this, my imagination kicks in..

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    Someone should write a book.

    * Achorutes nivicolus 

    5 responses to “walk with me wednesday.. small worlds”

    1. Carole

      If you write a book I promise to buy it for the library. 🙂

    2. Liz in IN

      The photos triggered some hazy memories from my own childhood. The details are lost, only the wistful nostalgic ache remains. I was that child, too, seeing small worlds everywhere, some real, some imaginary, and the best ones a combination of both. Thanks for reminding me.

    3. cyndy

      What an amazing universe we live in–
      it is good to stop and ponder the wonder of it all…and let the imagination take over.
      (is it just me, or does that last photo look like an elephants trunk?)

    4. Roxie

      Let’s see. You write well. You take stunning pictures. You have the vision. Who should write this book? Hey! Maybe YOU could write it! I’ll cheer, encourage, and buy several copies!

    5. Manise

      We have snow fleas too. You’re right – a mouthful of those would be truly gross! I love the “small worlds” in our larger world. That’s how I learned about all of the transformations a ladybug larva goes through before hatching out as a beetle- on one of my eggplant leaves 🙂

  • Diamond Fantasy

    P1040850

    It is way too wet to want to take the Diamond  Fantasy out for a photo shoot.  Hanging it on a door is about the best it can be today.  The color is a bit off.  It should be more to the periwinkle.  Like this:

    P1040700detail

    Things I’d do differently… only one thing. I ‘d make the shawl version.. I want BIGGER. That’s it!  I went for the little shawlette.  It is perfect for a scarf or to use as a bit of knitted jewelry.  This was a test piece for me to see if I’d like a "new" yarn.  I do.  It was a pleasure to knit and the shine that I worried about, becomes no more that a highlight in the knitted piece.

    P1040855

    Pattern: Diamond Fantasy by Sivia Harding
    Needles: Knitpicks Options #8                  
    Yarn: Ball & Skein: merino /tencel lace wt. 

    Manise left this question in the comments the other day:

    "Will you show us how you do your Russian join with photos? "

    I did a picture tutorial a while back showing it with silk.  Click here if you want a refresher.  I use it for everything.  Even wool.  Instead of a spit splice, I separate the plied yarn in half (If it is a two ply, I only thread one through the eye of the needle, if it is a 4 ply, I use 2) to eliminate any bulkiness at the join, then sew it together. After you tighten up the join, cut away the unused plies and all loose ends.   Wet the yarn a bit and roll it between your hands to full any little loose ends. It is a nearly invisible join.   

    14 responses to “Diamond Fantasy”

    1. Carole

      Your DFS is gorgeous! I knit one a long time ago and was never pleased with the yarn I used although I loved the pattern. I think maybe I should knit another one.

    2. margene

      The yarn is very pleasant to knit and I’m enjoying the skein you sent very much. DFS is gorgeous and I love the color!!

    3. linda

      It turned out beautifully! The Diamond Fantasy is now in my queue.

    4. Anne

      Beautiful – I’ll bet it has a wonderful drape and hand too!

    5. joan

      I love this pattern, it is such an enjoyable knit. And your version is lovely!

    6. Manise

      Oh, thank you! You are too kind. Love the shawlette- it’s beautiful! And the yarn looks yummy. I love me some periwinkle.

    7. cyndy

      Verrrry Nice! The yarn and pattern are beautiful together!

    8. AnnaMarie

      Looks mighty fine! Is Merino Tencil still warm? I’m always knitting with an eye towards warmth and although I have a few skeins of this in stash I hesitate to cast it on during the winter.

    9. Cheryl

      This is so pretty. I love it. I agree though that bigger would be better but this is really nice. And…thanks for sharing the joining technique. It’s very cool! I can’t wait to try it.

    10. Norma

      That is BEAUTIFUL! And if I were to knit one, I’d want the small. (as I mentioned yesterday, heh)
      I’m going to check out the Russian join. Neat!

    11. Beth S.

      Oh, lovely, lovely! 🙂
      And I agree, you need to make another, bigger one. This pattern is too good to knit only once. 🙂

    12. Marianne

      That came out very nice ! The color is so pretty too, perfect for this pattern.
      I will ask DH about the orchids, if the soil is OK.

    13. Rosanne

      Very pretty. I liked it enough that I just bought the pattern.

    14. claudia

      I don’t know how I missed the Russian join tutorial the first time. That’s ingenious!

“Our lives are dyed the colors of our imagination.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

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