Category: Craft

Fear is the project killer

On By CarynIn Craft

Even I am not immune to project fear, which leads to bundles of yarn in various states of assembly moldering in a corner because I’m not sure what to do. My forever alpaca project has been that way for months (I started it over a year ago) because I had an inkling that I didn’t have enough to make a vest. I was right.

Nålbound spirals laid out on my favorite vest

The idea was to lay out pieces on a vest that fit well, then sew the bits together to form a new vest. I’m not really wanting a bolo vest, and I spun all that fiber at one time, so I would be more consistent. I’m not sure I could spin it up the same now. So. Time for a new plan. I laid out the spirals in several different configurations, and when I had one I liked, took a picture and started sewing using the tails I left after nålbinding. To sew, I used a mattress type stitch, where the needle points the same direction for each stitch, just switching sides.

Two images showing stitching the circles together, picking up loops on the left and right respectively

I was planning on a scarf, but when I did a test fit (as you do), I realized I could shape it more like a shawl or large collar.

Nålbound circles connected
Back of shawl
Front of shawl

I also realized that I may still be able to turn it into a vest by adding a body section. Hmm.

Doll jacket

On By CarynIn Craft

I used the gimp yarn I spun to make some more doll clothes, because there wasn’t near enough to do much else. I wanted to see if I understood the construction of a nålbound sweater, but it is very difficult to get a sweater on a doll, so I also tested cutting the fabric and finishing it.

Nålbound doll sweater made from the bottom up

I used an existing shirt as a guide for the dimensions, and started from the bottom. When I reached the armpit area, I made a loop on each side, then calculated my decreases. I added 50 stitches with the arm holes and needed to reduce an additional 20, all over 7 rows, so each row needed 10 decreases. I placed markers and did decreases at and between the markers (so I didn’t have to count stitches!) I then cut the garment up the front and removed the partial strands, then pulled the attached threads snug. Using a tapestry needle I ran the ends back through the fabric on the inside.

Running the cut ends back through the fabric

I was going to add an edging, but I quite liked how the edge came out just by neatening the cut yarn. Nålbinding is amazing! I then added sleeves to the arm holes. I had a little extra yarn, so I made a matching ear warmer as well.

Finished doll jacket and ear warmer, 2-ply gimp Merino wool hand spun, Finnish 1+2 F1 stitch

This doll is also sporting a new wig. Her old wig’s glue deteriorated and it fell off, so we ordered a new one that matched my daughter’s current hairstyle and superglued it in place. I’m not ready for doll hospital work, but was glad I could do a slight repair. Her original eye color faded due to moisture attack, however I am not up for changing eyes. That is intense. I used sharpies and some isopropyl alcohol to repaint the eyes so she didn’t look like she had heavy cataracts.

Buffalo down

On By CarynIn Craft

Buffalo down sounds like it comes from buffalo wings, but it is not feathers but the fine hair from the North American Bison. I love the opportunity to work with local fibers (and support local) and was so excited to find a nearby supplier of buffalo down. I grew up eating buffalo; it is a great low fat protein. To be able to use more of the animal is fantastic. The Buffalo Wool Company (thebuffalowoolco.com) uses fiber sheared from the hides of bison being processed for meat. Usually this fiber would be burned off, but they collect it and make hats, gloves, socks, and spinning fiber!

My buffalo down came in a beautiful golden bag

The owner was kind enough to share spinning tips as well. He said to spin “fast and fine” and to hold a small amount in my palm and spin off the pinch. I decided to use the tahkli spindle I made from an old button since it spins very fast and works well for cotton which is also a short fiber. I’m sticking with my spoon as a spindle rest because the handle is convenient.

Spinning buffalo fiber with a homemade tahkli spindle
Holding a small amount of fiber in my palm and spinning from the pinch (photo credit to my eldest)

It took me a bit to understand spinning from the pinch, but once I did, spinning went much smoother. The yarn is fine but fluffy! I spun until the cop wouldn’t stay put on the shaft, then wound it onto a small wool bead that my mom made. This is much easier than starting the ball with yarn! Some of the single is very thin, I was surprised when I didn’t break any of it winding it into a ball. I weighed everything and figured that I spun 6 grams of fiber. I pulled another 6 grams out of the bag to spin another single, then I will ply! I am really enjoying the spinning! The fiber is well prepared — I had no waste! (Yup, three exclamation point punctuated sentences in a row. I’m that excited.)

Winding the buffalo fiber yarn off onto a ball

What to do with small bits of yarn

On By CarynIn Craft

I took the single ply merino wool I had left over from plying and made a simple lace scarf for my youngest’s doll. I had just enough for a decent length. The yarn is about 32 wraps per inch, which is small even for lace weight yarn. I tried nålbinding a new stitch, but the dark yarn was too hard to see. I tried knitting, but again, it was tiny and hard to see. So I used crochet, because I can crochet without having to distinguish individual strands. I did a simple lace pattern (chain three, single crochet in previous chain, repeat), and it still took me days to complete. Making doll clothes, though, is a great way to try different techniques with small amounts of yarn, rather than tackling a human sized project.

Crochet lace scarf from hand-spun merino wool for an 18” doll

Tube hoops

On By CarynIn Craft, dog

We had left over bits of irrigation tubing, and my eldest expressed interest in teaching the puppy to jump through hoops. Now we have three different sizes to practice with!

Hoops made from irrigation tubing

I found a 3/4” dowel that fit snugly into the drip hose, so cut about 3” off that and slid both ends of the tube onto the dowel.

Dowel inside the tubing to keep it in the round

To keep the dowel in place I used some small screws that bit into the wood, but didn’t go all the way through.

Two screws hold the dowel in place

The solid tubing had a bit smaller inside diameter, so I sanded down the dowel until it just fit and I could push the tube ends on.

Missy walking through the small hoop

Missy already knows how to walk through a hoop! As recommended by the backyard agility article we read, we’ll wait until she is a year old to start the jumping part since jumping is hard on growing bones.