Tour de Fleece… interlude

Y’all are coming to know me, right?  I have no self control when it comes to yarn and yarn shops. I have a very difficult time when it comes to NOT purchasing when I’m in one.   This is a pretty big difficulty when it comes to how I sit, every single Tuesday afternoon, at my local shop - KnitNPurl - in Surfside Beach, South Carolina.  

The local ladies are hugely supportive and are very real enablers.   And it’s not like they’re egging you on and laughing with malice!  Oh no..  fright alongside you as you go.. local or visitor.  “Ooooh!  What do you have there?!  OMG!  Candace!  CANDACE!  Have you seen this?!”    And there goes another sweater’s worth of yarn, into my bag…. Lol.    This isn’t always a bad thing!  But man.. I’m glad I knit fast. Lol

This past week, in between planning my challenges for TdF, I couldn’t stop myself and bought four skeins of Berroco’s Remix in this unbelievable Grape-y purple! Lol.   Why?  For a Ranunculus.    I hate the sleeves on that sweater, so I’ll be working more standard decreases, and a proper rob at the cuff ;) 

Isnt it great!?   Worked up on US10 needles ( which feel like broomsticks in my hand! ) it's fast and pretty easy and just for enjoyment :)  

jump in and make it happen!

July pt 2

Days  4-6 of Tour de Fleece came as a challenge from the Camaj Fiber Arts FB group - Scouring!  I scoured just under two ounces of Jacob from the stash, combed on my Valkyrie fine combs, and spun worsted to 38wpi. 

It’s Julyyyyy!

 Woo!  It’s July!  And we know that means that we’re also a week into Tour De Fleece :) 

For those who don’t know, TdF is when people who spin, weather wool, silk, plant fiber, etc, during the days that the Tour De France rides.   Neat concept, right?   Wheels!  

I’ve been a busy, busy bear!   The following blues is from Camaj Fiber Arts, and is a Merino/Silk blend  it was an absolute dream to spin!    The colorway was called Morphos… so I listened to the audio book, Sandman 2, by Neil Gaiman.    I’m pacing myself, this Tour… so the Morphos took days 1-3 :) 

It was an absolute joy to spin :) 

I’m hoping to manage a post for each update this month, as I work on this ): 

Follow the Bouncing Esme!

 It’s been an eventful week or two!   I attended the Fashion Through History conference, headlines by the Tudor Tailors, Dr Jane Malcolm-Davies and Ninya Mikhaila.    It was FABULOUS!    I was nervous, being a relative novice to period clothing creation… but I couldn’t pass it up.  TT put out their Typical Tudor book in recent years, and it’s filled to the brim with what the “typical Tudor” era person would have worn…. Including handknit stocking, sleeves, garters and hats.     Right up my alley!   

Friday night, TT (shortened from Tudor Tailor for brevity) were both on stage, introducing themselves and actually getting dressed on Friday night. Dr Jane clothed herself as someone of Nobility, maybe a well to do merchant’s wife, while Ninya clothed herself as befitting a Lady’s Maid.  It was a delight!  Others can speak to the proper fabrics and the farthingale sleeve placement, the way Dr Jane placed her bum roll and looked terribly proper.    I was watching Ninya.   She was dressing in good quality woolens, as I hope to be able to do in the near future.   The shift/chemise was linen, and the kirtle, front lacing, was wool.   It. Was. Beautiful.   I can admire what Dr Jane was wearing.. but maaaan…. Y’all know my affection for wool.   

And then…. Ninya gartered her handknit stockings.   I saw how it’s supposed to be done!   Wrappedfeont to back, crossed and tied in the front, if I’m remembering correctly.  On went the kirtle, which had CAP SLEEVES!  My eyes had to be size of dinner plates.   Check it out…. Next?!  She pinned HANDKNIT SLEEVES (the simple version) to the cap sleeves!  NIT over the curve of the shoulder, as I’ve been doing!

Right there, man…. Right there, the conference was made for me.

The workshops, the following day, were a whirlwind of knowledge gathering, fabric swstches, touching the recreations (knit by Leslie O’Connell Edwards), setting a gore into woolen hose feet…. So so much

The Frolic, Saturday night…   I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb   Wearing modern clothes, when most people were in period clothings..  it was a lovely evening.. and I met two of the most wonderful people!!    Isabel, the Attack Laurel…!   And Mathew Gnagy, The Modern Maker!   I talked knitting (and spinning!) with Thw Modern Maker!   Swoon!!!   

I can’t wait until the next.   I know that it will be different workshops, different classes, different presenters..  and im hooked!  I can’t wait!  

Dorset Horn Sheep!

Dorset Horn are a medium wool (28-34micron) with a varying crimp.  The ewes are like 200lbs, and can bear TWICE A YEAR!  They’re a dual use sheep - meaning they’re suited to both Dairy and Wool production, and can grow up to NINE POUNDS of wool per year!

Dorsey Horn are on the Conservation list, while their cousins, Dorsey Polled (hornless) are not.

The extra special property that I’ve come to love in Dorset?!   It’s naturally felting resistant!!   Yes, it WILL felt.. but it takes some effort and work 🙂.   This most awesome of properties is one of the huge bonuses of using Dorset for socks!  

My friend, Gail Parrinello, of Cornwall Yarn Shop, sold me the most beautiful skein of sock yarn, last time I was up there.  It is a Dorset and dyed with -INDIGO-!  She went into some detail about its ability to be even machine washed with only the most slight of fulling…. Her husband, bless him, was a test subject, I think she said lol. 

Dude!  Wash on gentle, amirite?! 

So..  when Mary Pavis Egbert of Camaj Fibers, put up that she was going to have some Dorset Horn, a breed on the Livestock Conservatory’s list, available..  and after being reminded by Vlad 😉 ....   after several weeks of waiting for the group sale, we now have a pound! 

I’m figuring a pair of the Typical Tudor stockings..    feel me?!    NOT A MEDIEVAL BREED!  But hard wearing and most likely not for competition (since they’re not a medieval breed as far as I have been able to find).  

Man.. the List grows…and grows… and GROWS!

 I am good at what I do.   That isn't necessarily boastful...but it is true.  Did I just jump into knitting and turn cables like a champ?   Not really.   I cannot tell you how many times I tossed that crappy Red Heart worsted weight on the US 8 14" straight needles.  I can absolutely picture it, to this day... it was *dreadful*.  Extra stitches, wiggly sides...  Hell, one piece I'd tried, had this weird triangle thing going on.   Thinking back, I was splitting the plies of the yarn, thus adding many MANY extra stitches LOL     I wont say I'm cheap, but I'm very frugal.   I folded the pointy edge of that dreadful triangle  to the inside, used it for a drawstring channel, and sewed the sides up... my elder daughter's American Girl doll got a horrid green skirt  LOL

Why do I mention this?   We all start somewhere.   That little doll skirt was made twenty seven years ago!  Where the hell did the time go?!    I'm appalled that, sitting here, i had to do that math  ...   And yet, here I am...still knitting...  

A week ago, tomorrow (Tuesday), I picked up a bag of yarn, with only the collar of a top-down pullover completed.   The knitter, a lovely lady who is NINETY FOUR (!) wants it just done and over.   It started as a KAL (knit-a-long) with her friend-group.  Everyone else is done, and she's just not feeling it.  After a follow-up text to confirm sizing, I picked up where she left off.  

I bound off at just about 2am friday morning.  

40" finished bust, US 8's, in the round.  

This is before it went to the bath :)  

The Bath...   While this piece is a cotton blend (WEBS' Valley Yarns Gretchen), I did use Eucalan in a cool sink-full of water.  I let it soak, gave it a swish, and squeezed the water out.  I laid the piece flat, used a yard stick to check sizing, and let it air dry in the shade outside.  Its been a beautiful few days... and the light breeze helped move things along.

And this is what the sweater looks like on the boards :) 

For something that only took about 52 hours total, start to finish, with sleeping and meals, and naps!

I'll be dropping this off to her tomorrow.. exactly a week since I picked it up from her.

I hope she likes it. :) 

Italian Waistcoats!

So. Check this out. My Laurel, Maddalena, bless her, and I were geeking over the jackets/waistcoats in the V&A. Like this one - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O10383/jacket-unknown 

  Then... oh... did we EVER find a piece! This jacket is ON DISPLAY! AS WE SPEAK! https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107796/jacket-unknown/

  It is HEAVILY modified. When we brought it to our sunday group, everyone kind of looked and made their comments on what the heck is going on here. One lady, I believe it was Clare, mentioned that she thought they'd cut it down, then added the panels on the sides to suit the widening silhouette. My heart BREAKS, looking at this. It SHOULD be nominally constructed like the first one I linked. Same basket weave....same garter edges along the sides and underarm. The neckline is a hot mess, but was probably also modified to suit a much later form. I mean.. DUDE! LOOK AT THAT DARK YARN!!! The gold threads! ......and those floats. oh, those floats. Every hand knitter comes to colorwork eventually, and they fight with their floats. Apparently, knitters for hire in the medieval period just threw caution to the wind, kept those floats wildly long (i think you could hang small children in them) and just rolled with it... 

Tell me again that perfection is key

 Tell me again that you have to make things perfect. 

Tell me again, so I can tell you "NO! THAT ISNT RIGHT!" LOL

So. yeah. Slacker much? Well, not really. I've been terribly busy...and busy getting all up in my head. About what? heh. Everything.
Theres been a delayed grief reaction to the loss of my mom. I'm moving into a place, finally after two years, where I can begin to forgive...to be able to miss her...to love the woman, if not the things that made her unkind. And thats been a challenge. A challenge I didnt' realize until I began coming out of it. I've been out of the loop with my SCA (Society for Creative Anacronism) families, too. I've not been super creative. I've been dismissive and avoidant when it comes to working for the greater good in my hobby. I was so burned out. SO burned out. Add that to missing my mom? Oh yeah.. and my dog, wee Slick, was diagnosed with CDD - Canine Cognative Disorder. Doggie Dementia. Homie's been sundowning hard... and it's horribly difficult to find motivation when you're not sleeping and pre-grieving your furry companion. Brooke, my younger daughter, moved to New Jersey, and is starting a life. She's met a gentleman and is finding her way, sans parental units. Jeeze... this feels like a lot lol I'm coming back, I think, though... and making some progress in regaining my creative focus. My need to "MAKE" is coming back.. and with it, a want to write about it. To share it.

Do you care? heh thats okay.. Sit with me a moment... We'll learn to care, again, together