Sweater Weight

It dawned on me the other day and took me nearly a week to find the courage to write about it, that I'm really too fat to make a sweater from a pattern that I pick up for free or cheap.

I need to purchase a book for sweater patterns for the more endowed among us.

The biggest problem (no pun intended) is that making larger sweaters means that one must use more yarn.

Yarn ain't cheap (unless you shop at Knitpicks) but it would be very nice to be able to purchase a cute pattern for a cute little top and get some really nice yarn (perhaps something with silk in it) and knit a cute little thing that comes together fast and I can complete in something like a week. But because I'm whale sized so anything I make requires mountains of yarn and months to complete. If I start a sweater in June, for instance, it MIGHT be finished in December.

So, the goal this coming year is to lose enough weight to drop three sizes. That means I need to lose at least 45 pounds.

To that end I have re-joined Weight Watchers. I've joined the YMCA (this is partly to get in shape for the job).

When I started all this the week following Christmas and before New Years, I weighed 203 pounds. When I weighed in last Thursday, I weighed 198.5 pounds. That's a loss of 4.5 pounds.

Perhaps by being honest here, I can motivate myself to stay on track. Encouragement is welcome.

More This and That

Over the weekend I spun up a bunch off odd fibers and plied a bunch of singles that I had lying around from spindling.

Here are pictures.



There's not much yarn in each skein. One, the 3-ply natural Corriedale, is actually a very nice yarn but I only have about 10 yards. I took some really trashed junk Rambouillet and spun it up as much to get it out of the way as I two half bobbins full of it so I just plied it together.

I also made this very nice two-ply purple and white corriedale that will make wonderful sock yarn. The problem is that there isn't enough to make an adult pair of socks. I'm thinking that I'm going to save onto it and make some baby booties. Trouble is I just don't know anyone expecting a baby just now.

But I have also spun up some very nice alpaca which is waiting to be plyed with some much nicer rambouillet.

As noted in an earlier post, I have started teasing the rambouillet and then running it through Fred. I realized it was still really sticky because it was still full of lanolin. So over the weekend I nearly boiled the stuff in soapy water. Then rinsed it twice in 160 degree water.

Amazing to me, it STILL has lanolin in it but it is no longer sticky. I did run it through Fred again because the washing and re-drying made it a bit compacted. It is now some really nice stuff. I have about a half a bobbin full. I'm going to shoot for about 3/4 full then ply with the alpaca.

That should give me enough yarn to knit up a hat for my sister in Colorado.

My sweater progresses a bit.

I turned the heel on the first red sock this weekend.

Progress.... it's coming slow but sure.

This and That

I'm done with training and am a real live Parole and Probation Officer now. Work load continues to climb. There really is a crisis every day. And my caseload is double the size that is manageable. I do feel as if I have good support from my co-workers. My immediate supervisor goes so far as to ask me whenever she has a minute if there is something she can do to help and will run criminal checks and make odd phone calls for me when things start to bog down or two people or issues need attention at the same time.

Oddly enough, I feel less stress now than I did three weeks ago. I'm realizing that there is no earthly way I can actually get everything done that has to be done and no one can or will fault me for that.

I do wish we were allowed to work some overtime. At least that way I would feel less guilt about leaving some things undone. But I'm also starting to get a feel for the priorities and the things for which we get "credit" or rather what things are tracked by downtown. What's frustrating is that the things I believe are important and the things they think are important are actually drastically different. Not much difference there from when I was a counselor at the prison.

But help should be coming soon as they are getting ready to hire a fifth officer. This person will be responsible for the sex offenders and may get some "odd jobs" like transfer investigations and/or higher risk offenders or people with special needs. That would take some of the more time consuming folks off my pile.

So I came home tonight and read a few emails and then went upstairs to the fiber room and talked to Eleanor for a while. Ken came up (I think he missed me) and decided she needed more oil, so while I was spinning away he lubed her up real good. He seemed pleased with his help and amused that I find the spinning so relaxing, but even Macha (one of our dogs) seemed to enjoy laying down next to Eleanor and watch her work.

I must take the camera and a box of diskettes upstairs and start tracking my progress.

Handy chart for spinning folks

Yarn Type	50 Grams per skein = 1.8 ounces per skein*	Yards per 50 gram skein	Yards per Pound	Wraps per Inch	Needle Size	Stitches per Inch
Lace	50 grams = 1.8 oz	440	2600 + ypp	18+	#00, 1, 2 or larger depending on project	8+
Fingerling	50 grams = 1.8 oz	231	1900-2400 ypp	16	#2, 3, 4	6 – 8
Sport	50 grams = 1.8 oz	103 - 110 DK = 123	1200 – 1800 ypp	14	#4, 5, 6	5 – 6
Worsted	50 grams = 1.8 oz	110	900 – 1200 ypp	12	#7, 8, 9	4.5 – 5
Bulky	100 grams = 3.53 oz *	137	600 – 800 ypp	10	#10, 10.5, 11	3.5 – 4
Super Bulky	100 grams = 3.53 oz*	143	400 – 500 ypp	8	#13, 15, 16	2 - 3

Grams	Ounces
1	0.0353
10	0.353
50	1.8
100	3.53
500	17.7
400	15.9

I have no idea how this is going to translate into Blogger.

I made this chart to help myself have a fair to middlin' idea of how much yarn I need to make for any given project. And how much fiber I need to purchase to make said yarn.

The information was gleaned from lots of different places and does not necessarily correspond from column to column. The 50 yard skein comes from Knit Picks because that seems to be their average for skein size (it does go up for the bulkier stuff, of course). The yards per pound figure obviously does not correspond with Knit Picks and I can't remember where I got the figures but they do seem to run fairly accurate.

As I make my own yarn and measure and weigh, I will probably make adjustments to this, but it is a starting place for me.

Home again, home again

I returned home yesterday from the Academy after a really LONG four days to find my husband sick with a very bad cold and laryngitis.

My youngest son was in fairly good spirits but his general teenage angst came out tonight when he requested to get on the computer and was told that he could not get on again until his report card came out and if he had any grade less than a C, would not be allowed on the computer at all for the next term and would also not be allowed to use the phone.

All this delivered in the loudest voice that the currently voiceless stepfather could muster. You can imagine the temper tantrum that ensued. Pleasantly, it did not last long and youngest son actually sat down with us for a moment at the dinner table and inhaled his meal before he disappeared with the phone.

Then middle son (the soldier) called and wanted to know if we had found his cell phone. I went up and looked around the room where Eleanor now resides and where middle son slept the few nights he slept here and did not see it. I told him we would mail it to him should it turn up.

He did get the box of all the other stuff he forgot when he left.

The good news is that he says he is not one of the 20,000 being sent over to Iraq. He sounded very relieved when he said it. This does not prohibit him from being one sent over later yet, but at least I have hope now that he will not be going in March.

On the fun side while I was gone, I discovered a really cute little yarn/fiber shop in Powhatan, Virginia which is just around the corner from the Academy. It's called Holly Spring Yarn Shop.
I bought some cashmere.

This is some Oh My Goddess!! stuff. I took it to class with me to let one of my fellow newbie probation officers feel it. She had expressed an interest in knitting as she watched me get about 9 inches completed on my green sweater while sitting in class. I thought it would be nice of me to share some really nice fiber with her.

Well, the bag made it around the room and all 53 newbie probation officers and six instructors fondled my cashmere! I may have to wash it before I spin it up. But it appears to be none the worse for wear. In any case, I spent $16 for an ounce of this stuff. But I know in my heart it will be worth every penny. It's really nice and the goats from which it came are raised by the woman who runs Holly Spring Homespun.

She sends the fleece out for processing (somewhere out West). She had some yarn already spun up and it too was wonderful.

I'm trying to decide if I will blend it with another fiber (like a good quality merino) or just spin it as is. The fiber is relatively short (about 2 inches) but has a nice crimp. It is incredibly fine.

I also bought a really pretty hand dyed roving that is merino. She does very nice work with his hand painted stuff. I was most impressed. She also sells spinning wheels and really truly understands the addiction -- like any good pusher.

She also has some really wonderful yarn for sale. And patterns. And she told me that January is "sweater month" and if you buy enough yarn to make a sweater there is some kind of significant discount. And on Monday evenings she hosts a knitting group.

I will be back to visit her.

And the Christmas tree is still up. I took the decorations off last weekend before I left with the understanding that it would be down and all the Yule stuff put up by the time I returned home. I guess sickness prevents productivity.

The Final Week

I'm off to the Academy again tomorrow. This will be the third and final week for the Basic Training for Parole/Probation Officers.

I leave at 5:30 a.m. That means I have to get up at 4 a.m. Now, I normally wake up all on my own between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. so 4 a.m. should not be so bad, right? How much do you want to bet, given this situation, if I did not set an alarm, that I would wake up on time. That's right. None. So, for the first time in a very long time, I'm going to set the alarm clock.

And tomorrow evening, when class gets out (and I pray they release us about 4 p.m. so I can hurry up and get checked into my room), I'm headed off to a newly discovered yarn and spinning shop with is around the corner and over the river and through the woods (or past farm fields) from where I will be. Just minutes away. They stay open until 8 p.m. on Mondays. I'll let you know more when I get back on Thursday night.

Combs in the Forge

I went to visit Dan's Forge which is the blacksmith shop built behind the Rice's Inn Hughlett Tavern in Heathsville, Virginia. I knew they were working with some apprentices and were willing to try to recreate historic tools.

I asked them if they could make me a set of Viking or English combs for combing wool. After some rather interesting discussion about what would be involved and how they would be used and whether or not they really needed to be sharp; I dashed home and brought back a copy of the Woolery's paper catalogue with a picture of several varieties of combs and Amos's book with a fairly detail set of instructions of how to make them.

These guys were awesome. They were both interested and even a bit excited to make tools that would be used and were historic.

They have about three projects (commissions) ahead of me (one of which is fairly large: a fireplace screen for a fireplace large enough to walk into for one of the historic homes in the area.)

They are going to call me when they get started in case they have more questions. They think it won't take but a day to accomplish. One of the fellows is also a wood worker and will prepare the handles.

They were surprised at the catalogue and to see that there is actually a market out there fiber working stuff. They said they had a member of their guild who worked at Stratford Hall and she could sheer a sheep in 8 minutes flat with those non-electric sheering clips. When I go back I will get her name and number and find out if she might know where I can get my hands on some fleece.

They also told me that in April the Tavern folks are hosting an event where folks will be demonstrating old skills (like barrel making, weaving, wood carving, etc.). They wanted to know if I was interested in getting in costume and joining the festivities. I told them I would but that I do not sew, have a limited income, and don't have costume. I was amused when one of the fellows told me that his wife would be happy to make me a costume in exchange for a pair of hand knitted socks. I smiled and told him I best talk to her about such arrangements for I would be highly annoyed if my husband negotiated such a deal for me!

In any case, I'm delighted and excited because in the back of my mind I have this notion of selling handspun yarn at the farmer's market. I probably would not be able to generate a lot of money, but I would certainly meet some interesting people.

Do-over!

I have abandoned the original tea cozy I was knitting for my MIL from a cone of cotton. The fabric was pretty but I somehow crossed the "arm" and messed it up. When I tried to rip it out, I screwed it up even worse.

So I started over. This time I used some of my homespun. This stuff.

I started out using the two ply. That lasted about 2 1/2 inches. Then I switched to the Navajo ply. The two ply is very "heathery". The Navajo is coming out more striped. Still some heathering but striped. It's cool. I am using the singles to do the sewing. I have hemmed it in the picture. I will end up sewing on the pocket with the singles.

I'm thinking the sleeves need to be in Navajo but I have to make the singles MUCH finer so they aren't too bulky to push up and clear the handle and the spout.

Oh, I'm using the pattern from the Fall 2006 Spin-Off of the Tee-shirt tea cozy.

Mom-in-law's birthday is in February. My mom's birthday is in February. Both of them knit. I'm going to give my MIL the tea-cozy. My mom wants yarn I've made.

Meet Fred

This is Fred. He just arrived today via UPS.


He's bigger than I thought he would be. It's probably a good thing I didn't opt for the larger version as I probably would not have had room. As you can tell, my fiber room used to be one of the boy's bedrooms.

Leave this home only if you dare for you will lose your bedroom! Our downstairs bedroom (where eldest son slept) is now a walk in storage room as we have only four small closets in the whole house (built in 1910 when folks used wardrobes and did not accumulate STUFF!

Anyway, I'm having fun already. The first thing I did was run some of the Sheep's Shed Studio black and white roving. I was amazed at how fluffy it became. All I had to do was roll the batt over and it was like a short piece of roving (actually just shorter than what I normally work with at one time). I did a bit of pre-drafting and low and behold, I had PERFECT stuff to work with. Truly amazing!

Then I took this same batt (flattened it out a bit and broke it up a bit) and laid it back on the tray. On top of it I put a couple of tiny locks of purple mohair and ran it through. Pretty nice but it was missing something, and I dug out the pink mohair and used about half as much as I did the purple. I'm wondering if a pinch of green wouldn't punch it up. I may try but don't want to create mud either.

Then I cleaned off what I thought was all of the merino stuff and ran some of my teased rambouillet (Kate's fleece). Check it out.



You can see where I missed some of the white. Lesson learned... first go through should be just a little bit of something to "clean out the previous stuff I missed in the clean up". In any case, I'm very pleased. This is so much nicer than what I was working with before. There are no nebs!! I can still see some junk (vm) but it's MUCH better than it was as the teasing took out most of it.

Might require some tweezers.

Happy New Year! It's Raining!

I’m writing this entry out in Microsoft Word because now is the time I have to write and the rain is coming down so hard that we cannot get a satellite signal for the internet. Yes, folks, we live so far out in the middle of nowhere that we don’t get internet without a satellite.

Well, we could if we used dial up. And we did that for a while but it drove us all quite mad. And if the phone lines went, we were still cut off. So, now we use the satellite. It works great until there is very heavy cloud cover or rain. I should mention there is also the issue of uplink time. There is just enough lag with the thing that my husband is not welcomed to play on-line with the war games folks as they say his response time is too slow. We can, at least, play card games and such which we could not do with the dial-up.

I started back on Weight Watchers on Thursday but losing weight and getting in shape are two of my big goals for positive new behaviors for 2007. I joined the gym last week, too, but haven’t had an opportunity to use it yet. I’m hoping to go out there tomorrow. They are closed today for the holiday or I would be there now.

Ken is not out of bed yet, but promises me that he smoked his last cigarette last night. He has the nicotine patches and says he is going to “sacrifice” his last 8 smokes in some fashion today. I’m thinking the toilet would be a good choice.

John is off with his friend, David. He and David took off last Wednesday and we heard nothing from them until Saturday when I contacted my oldest son, Wes, who put out an all points bulletin with his friends. Someone finally got in touch with David. They were partying up in Baltimore. I decided that since he would rather spend time with his friends than with his family that his friends could take him to the bus station on Tuesday at 2 a.m. So, yesterday morning at 4:30 a.m. John tried to sneak into the house and gather up all his stuff. I woke up as it’s normally what time I wake up anyway and helped him gather up what we could find. He got his lecture and he left.

Of course, I found some more of his stuff scattered throughout the house and will pack it up and mail it to him sometime this coming week. I just hope he makes it back to Fort Gordon on time and sober.

Matthew is at a friend’s house but will be home later today. He and his buddies took advantage of the nice weather yesterday to go skateboarding up in Callao.

Went grocery shopping yesterday and spent just over $190. The cost of feeding this family is getting very bad. Fresh fruits and vegetable costs have nearly doubled in the last two years and the cost of meat is just ridiculous. Granted, I’m not the farmer at the other end trying to make a living; but unless you want to live on canned goods and dried beans and rice, it’s very hard to make a grocery budget that makes any sense. I do feel sorry for folks on a limited fixed income. These times have got to be very scary.

With John’s departure, I got my fiber room back and Ken carried Eleanor upstairs for me after I cleaned up his mess and vacuumed the floor. I need a small stereo up there. A little TV would be nice, too. But since it would have to hooked up to the satellite dish, this could get expensive so it probably won’t happen anytime soon. In any case, the wheel “faces” the door and sits in the middle of the room. It’s a small room, but it is really amazing how much space Eleanor occupies.

Hopefully, the drum carder will arrive tomorrow. (Maybe while I’m at the gym, so I’m not distracted from that mission). I teased out a lot more of Kate’s locks. I hate to say it but a lot of that fleece is a mess. It’s going to take a lot of patience on my part to really get a decent amount out of it. However, the price was worth the learning opportunity. And I still have about half of it to wash so there is probably more worth struggling with than not.

2007, here we come!