Smoke on the Water

In December 1971, the rock band Deep Purple set about trying to record an album in Geneva, Switzerland.  But before they were able to get started, disaster struck.  Disaster in the form of a flare gun and a Frank Zappa concert. 

In August 2010, the TSMK family set about trying to enjoy a vacation.  But before we were even able to get started.  Disaster struck.  Fires erupted throughout the region - with one burning just 5 miles from our cabin. 

Coincidence?  Hard to say - although I'm confident that Zappa was nowhere nearby.

Ok.  Perhaps disaster is overstating it a bit.  Perhaps inconvenience is more apt.  Nevertheless, there was indeed smoke on the water.  

 

But no matter.  For we were not trying to record Machine Head.  We were simply looking to relax.  Spend some time together and with family.  And perhaps make a few new friends.  Friends like this guy. 

In all, our trip was wonderful.  I spent much of it playing with the boys, fondling Molly and playing with fiber.  In terms of the fiber, there was much knitting to do, and a fair amount of picking wool out on a back deck overlooking a creek. 

But the high point of my daily fiber intake happened on our last full day - when I got a chance to try out my father's Majacraft Rose spinning wheel.  I carded some of the wool I'd brought along on the trip - made five rolags, and set to work.

I'd never used a double-treadle wheel before - and was astonished at the difference it seemed to make in my spinning.  There was just a lot more control, and I was able to draft down to a cobweb weight yarn with relative ease.  Too cool.  Of course, I now have a bit of a case of wheel lust - but that should pass in a week or two of working on my Ashford single-treadle Traveller.  Right?  Right?

In terms of knitting - well I made a lot of progress on a certain stole that will be featured prominently in a few future posts.  And I made a hat.

Specifically, I made a hat during the trip out to Idaho.  Mrs. TSMK was kind enough to drive, which allowed me time to concentrate on making a hat for my youngest nephew: GE.  There's nothing fancy here, but I rather like the result.  And, as it is made of machine washable yarn - perfect for a little guy.  I call it GE's 300-Mile Hat.

The construction is very simple - and you can probably figure it out just from looking at the product.  But here it is anyway in case it is helpful.

1. Cast on 112 stitches of main color yarn (MC) using a knitted cast on and dpns.  Join (being careful not to twist).
2. Knit one row in stockinette stitch (SS).
3. Join contrasting color yarn (CC) and work in K1 (MC) P1 (CC) rib for two rows.
4. Work SS in MC for 3 rows.
5. Work in CC for 3 rows.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for desired length before decreases - ending with 3 rows of MC.
7. Using CC, [K5, K2tog] to end of row.  96 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
8. Repeat step 4.
9. Using CC, [K4, K2tog] to end of row.  80 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
10. Repeat step 4.
11. Using CC, [K3, K2tog] to end of row.  64 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
12. Repeat step 4.
13. Using CC, [K2, K2tog] to end of row.  48 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
14. Repeat step 4.
15. Using CC, [K1, K2tog] to end of row.  32 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
16. Repeat step 4.
17. Using CC, [K2tog] to end of row.  16 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
18. Repeat step 4.
19. Using CC, [K2tog] to end of row.  8 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
20. Repeat step 4.
21. Using CC, [K2tog] to end of row.  4 stitches remain.  Knit 2 more rows of CC in SS.
22. Cut yarn (MC and CC), draw through live stitches and pull tight.
23. Weave in ends.
24. Give to Child.

I'd like to tell you the gauge that I used, but I didn't try for any specific gauge.  Instead, I just tried to make a hat that I thought would fit GE in a few months, when he's 6-7 months old and the weather turns cold.  So I wanted something with a circumference of about 17.5 inches and a fairly dense knit.  I achieved that using Berroco Comfort DK and U.S. size 4 double-points.  If you decide to make something similar - take the time to futz about and do a swatch or two.  Your gauge could be (and probably is) different than mine.

~TSMK

Go East Young Man

Here in our strange little corner of the world, summer is already beginning to slip into fall.  I know this because the hipsters riding their fixed gear bicycles along first avenue are starting to sport the occasional jaunty scarf.

And like most mammals I am not immune to these cycles of nature.  Just this afternoon, while enjoying my ridiculously overpriced cup of french press coffee and pondering the existential predicament that is the life of a man who is a corporate finance lawyer and yet has several albums by Rage Against the Machine on his iPod, I found my thoughts drifting toward wool.  Specifically, I found myself wishing I had more time to spin it into yarn, and more time to make things from it.



Clearly, a vacation was in order.  Luckily, the entire TSMK family has had one planned for some time. 

And so, after putting the children to bed this evening, Mrs. TSMK and I set about packing for an excursion.  Well, actually we set about trying to decipher a passage of the owner's manual of Mrs. TSMK's car as it described the "simple" method of removing a middle-row seat.  But, once feeling quite accomplished at the fact that two people with 6 years of post-graduate education between them were able to remove a single seat in a half-hour, we set about packing.

We're heading out tomorrow for a week in the mountains in Idaho, and I couldn't be more excited.  In addition to visiting family, I'm bringing along an entire bag of fleece, along with my hand carders and a drop spindle.  And of course quite a bit of knitting.

But my attention will not be solely focused on fiber, however.  Mrs. TSMK has kindly allowed me permission to bring along my girlfriend on this excursion.  Yes.  You heard me right.  I'm going on vacation with Mrs. TSMK and my girlfriend, Molly. 

[Note: Molly is pictured at right - a Gold Tone White Ladye banjo.  I highly recommend that you avoid suggesting a vacation with your spouse and your significant other unless your significant other is similarly described.]

What's more, we're bringing all of our children.  Even the furry ones.

And so, I say farewell for a week.

But before I go, let me offer a few gratuitous pictures of yarn.  Specifically, this is yarn that found its way to the post office today - being shipped off to my Red-headed Minion.  She indicated she'd like some handspun.  So I'm sending her a skein of my most recently spun stuff.  But just in case she also wants to receive some decent stuff, I'm sending her a skein of handspun 50/50 cashmere and silk that I found at a local guild sale last year, along with two skeins of one of my favorite commercial yarns - GGH Kid Melange.    Hopefully, she'll make something awesome with one or more of these, and then share the photos so that we can all appreciate her work.

~TSMK