Blocking

I wanted to share my blocking of a linen shawl that I knit while on vacation. It was made from Louet brand 100 % linen. In blue (my favourite colour!). Linen is very stiff and almost crinkly and a lot of folks don't like to knit with it - it is rough, it doesn't feel soft, it is like cotton, it doesn't slide off the needles. If you own any linen garments and have had them for some time, you will know that over time, linen softens up to be one of the most loveable feeling shirts or pants that you own. Cool in summer and very breathable. I love the almost squeaky feel of it while knitting.

Here is the start of the Augustine shawl (paid pattern on Ravelry). Even looking at the cake, it is all stiff looking, no drape to it at all. That will change as it is knit. It softens up as I knit and with 'folding' it and storing it in my knit pouch. One of my tour buddies commented on it while I was knitting - 'It feels very crispy, are you sure you want to wear it?'!

After your item is knit, it is usually a bunch of squishiness, especially lace, it is usually smaller than what it could be (taking into account your gauge and we all know that we all gauge swatch right???!!), needle size, chosen yarn, and the mood you were in when you knit (who hasn't had a bad day knitting) etc. Blocking will help bring the item to what the designed intended it to look like, usually increases the item in size, and will even out stitches. (You know when your tension is always exact and some stitches are larger or smaller their neighbours). Have a look at the bumpiness and unevenness of the stitches below.

In this pattern, it calls for you to drop stitches (on purpose - blows my mind!) Just dropping those stitches will not give the item the same look if you do not block it. The dropped stitch will tend to be curled giving the finished item an unfinished look as shown above.

I usually darn in my ends first. Some folks wait til after, it is up to you in my humble opinion. I fill my bathroom sink with body temperature water. If you want (you can lay out your item and measure it before you block. I do this but never remember to write down the measurements (like on Ravelry, sigh). You can use a basin, bucket, large bowl whatever you have available that doesn't need to be used for a while.

 I add in one capful of Eucalan. You can use Soak, hair conditioner, or just plain water. Make sure the water is body temperature. Eucalan doesn't need to rinsed out. I am not sure if conditioner needs to be washed out.  If I close my eyes and let the water run over my hand and when I cannot feel any change in temperature then I know it is at the right spot. 

 Throw your item in, and submerge it.

No need to 'wash' it , let it rest...ahhhhhh....for about 30 minutes or until you remember you left it in the sink. I am lucky as the plug in my sink leaks a little and it takes about half an hour for the water to drain out.

 Gently squeeze the water out of the item with your hand. Do not wring it out, just press it out as much as you can.

 I gently lift the blob of wetness onto a towel (an old one as some dyes may run) and roll it up.

 Press down on the towel and squeeze more water out of it, don't twist it just press firmly. It will still most likely be wet.

 I do not own blocking mats. I lay big towels out on my floor in an area that is not subject to a lot of foot traffic. Then comes the cool part. Pull your item to its intended shape and pin. If your item has points such as  picot edge, put a pin in each one to make the picots stand out if you want. If your item has a straight edge you may want to use blocking wires to keep the edge straight, you can achieve the same result using many pins too. I would recommend stainless steel blocking pins as they do not rust. I have used quilting pins as well with success.

Look at the difference between the pre and post blocking - sorry cannot get them to line up on the same line. I should have also taken a closer pic so you can see how the dropped stitches line up. 

Leave to dry. It may take a day or two or three depending on where your item is left and how much air flow is around and the air temperature etc. Un pin and wear!

Make your day beautiful!

Yarn Fest - Nova Scotia Way

Good Saturday Evening from Cole Harbour Canada!

The air is crisp here in NS and I haven't seen my two besties since I got back from my vacation so I suggested going on a drive to visit a new to us yarn shop (it only opened a few months ago and we haven't been there yet) in Tatamagouche. We could catch up at the same time as they will be captive in the car and will have to listen to all my stories about my trip. 

In order to make a day of it, we decided to visit the a previously visited restaurant that one bestie wanted to go back to as she loved the fish and chips there as well as the farm market and then scoot over to Amherst because the genius behind Turtlepurl Yarns was going to there at the Nova Scotia Fibre Fest! Who knew WE had our own fibre festival right here in Nova Scotia. I know, I know, those of you that went to Rhinebeck today will be disappointed you couldn't get to this one, so I will share our adventure with you.

We landed in Tatamagouche and stopped at the farm market then visited the lovely folks at Tatamagouche Yarn and Co. 

A nice shop that sells lovely yarns - Rowan, Debbie Bliss, Malabrigo, unicorn tails (who makes those?) Berocco and lots of other squishy goodness that I could not even hope to remember. Nice selection of needles as well, including cubic dpns! The owners were intrigued by Lokken that I had knit with the Turtlepurl yarn and by the time we left, they had agreed they were going to do a knit along (KAL) using that pattern. I did mention that I might like to knit another one with blue yarn and may join in if I could get the right colour (ahem) blue yarn. (Blue is my favourite colour in case you didn't know!)

Our next stop was the Chowder House for fish and chips, chowder and homemade pie. YUM! 

We didn't eat all of that at one sitting, of course, but some of us like leftovers let's say. A great place for a nice meal, not pricey, good food. Service was slow this day as it appeared there was only one server on. We didn't mind, we weren't in a rush.

After dinner we drove to Amherst and found the Fibre Fest activities. OMG OMG I am going to actually see Turtepurl herself!!! I am so excited. Of course, I was wearing Lokken and as soon as she saw me she recognized the shawl. I had sent a pic when it was completed during the summer.  So many people have contacted her to buy the colourway (trenchcoat) that was used. That makes me so happy to hear that. I just had to ask if she had any blue (cough cough) yarn available. From under the table she pulled out a mountain of blue that she called Blue Jay (there's no red on a blue jay is there?) that was still damp and not wound into those beautiful little skeins. No matter, I was having that, all of it - well not exactly, but enough for another Lokken that I might just start with Tatamagouche Yarn & Co.! Mission accomplished. Oh, and I had to ask for a pic, didn't think she would understand if I took my shoes off though...hehehe

It was a perfect day to travel, laugh, share some fibre related stories, squeeze the yarn, try out needle felting and dream about our $64 million lotto win. Did you buy a ticket?? So for the folks that have visited Rhinebeck, I just wanted you to know that we have our own (albeit slightly smaller) version of fibre addicts here in good ole Nova Scotia. Come join us next year!

Make your day beautiful!

Good Sunday Morning from Cole Harbour Nova Scotia! 

Last year I started to post a pic of my favourite time of the week to the Facebook group called Knitting. Sunday Morning is when I get 2.5 hours of uninterrupted TV time to watch my beloved Coronation Street, drink my favourite beverage (Tetley tea with sugar and tin milk) and knit. Nothing could be better in my  mind! The post pictured my view of the world that included my feet and my knitting and the TV and I would let everyone know what I was knitting and a bit about the weather in my small corner of the world. At some point, the good folks decided that we needed a group that was 'looser' in its rules so Knit & Chat was started as the sister group.   

I decided to branch out a little and start a blog - just to have some fun and chat about Corrie and knitting and tea (if I ever branch out and try another brand ;)). I hope to get your feedback, both positive and negative. 

I would like to talk about a company from Ontario Canada Tay River Creations (they are on FB too!!!). I have the pleasure of owning 2 darning eggs and a beautiful Stash Spinner.

The Stash Spinner (SS) is used to hold a cake of yarn and allow it to be pulled from the outside without chasing the cake all over the floor. It is an option to a yarn bowl. (I took a ceramics class to make a yarn bowl - more on that in another post). The SS is a single piece made up of a base and a post connected with a series of ball bearings that allow the yarn to be knit with minimum amount of effort of pulling from the cake. (Others I have used are in two pieces with no bearings (wood on wood) that resulted in the two pieces separating when I yanked on the yarn.) The base is solid and heavy, but not too heavy, it makes the base stable so the pulling doesn't take the SS across the floor.

The one I have is made of cherry and is finished to a satin smoothness. I love the feeling of wood that is polished and smooth. This is incredibly soft. The grain of the wood is obvious - I like that, it makes me happy! 

Someone posted on their FB page that their cat likes to watch the SS - bonus - it doubles as a cat toy! I don't own a cat so I cannot attest to this function while using the SS! 

I bought two egg darners - one for my daughter that knits and one for myself. Years ago I visited a place that made darning eggs that were actually just shaped like eggs, beautiful but nothing to hold onto. I tried to use it to darn the toe of a sock and the darn thing slipped all over the place. I vowed I would get one with a handle when the opportunity presented itself. 
So now I have one, the only thing is which will I choose?

These darning eggs on handles are weighed properly so that it feels nice in your hand, again the satiny smoothness to the finish is incredible. I am in love with the feel and the smoothness, did I mention that? One is made of maple and the other is laccewood, both very rugged woods.

The designer really put a lot of effort into getting these designs correct. Must come from having a knitter in the house ;).

Works of functional art. I love these items! Check them out!

Make your day beautiful!