My Year in Books 2016

Reading is one of my greatest pleasures. I read to learn, to escape, to relax, to challenge myself, to connect, to dream, I can't remember not reading.

I'm a big fan of Goodreads (I'm Jillian Moreno there), it helps me track what I've read; I remember doing it with index cards in Jr. High - 1 card of each book filed away in a box. And it helps me remember what I want to read; I've had to stop instantly library requesting or buying every book that looks interesting. I just can't read that fast. Every year I participate in the Goodreads reading challenge, set a reading goal and try to hit it. This year my need to read was bigger than my goal. I set a goal of 75 books and ended up reading 93. Next year I may try for 100.

I read a variety of things, kids, YA, graphic novels, mysteries and fiction. I don't read a lot of non- fiction, I don't count every book I review for Knitty and I listen to audio books. If you want to see everything I read you can peek here. Here are a few standouts for me for the year. I won't try to describe them.

My Name is Lucy Barton and The Girls were the best fiction I read this year, I wouldn't want to choose between them. I discovered two new mystery series, the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James modern British police detective series and the Maggie Hope historic British series. The Maggie Hope series, starting with Mr. Churchill's Secretary is especially wonderful if you are a mystery fan who enjoyed The Crown. My favorite listens were the full-cast American Gods and a couple non-Jeeves P.G Wodehouse books. Cursed Child was a satisfying, familiar read and the Notorious RBG made me determined for the coming year.

I do have one absolute favorite book for 2016, my own, Yarnitecture: A Knitter's Guide to Spinning: Building Exactly the Yarn You Want. It was published in late August after two years of non-stop work. I am proud of the book and the work. I am thrilled at the positive response I've received for it and I'm having a great time meeting spinners while I teach around the country who have been inspired by the book.

So many people had a hand in making this book and supporting me while I did my part, I want to share them with you. During 2017 I'm going to talk about them and lots of pieces of the book here on my blog.

What were your favorite books of 2016? What will you read next year?

Spinning for a Project: My First Samples

I finally had some time to sit down and spin first samples for my Beekeeper's Smock. The Cormo/Romney fiber is delicious to spin!

As a reminder yarn I'm trying to match is:

• WPI: 8-10, Aran weight
• Yards Per Pound: 600
• Ply: 2-ply
• Ply angle finished; 22 degrees
• Ply bumps per inch: 5
• Ply direction: S

I'm trying to spin a yarn that is close in WPI and knitted gauge. The other specs don't matter as much to me. I do want a durable yarn with good stitch definition. A bonus would be if the yarn was lighter (a higher YPP number) than the yarn called for.

I spun two yarns using the same singles, the only difference between the two is ply twist. Why? My ply back sample looked close to the size of the yarn I’m trying to match. I thought I might have it on the first go! I plied one yarn to balance and one with a little overtwist to get better durability and better stitch definition.

The looser plied yarn has these specs:

·       WPI: 7

·       YPP: 700

·       Bumps Per Inch: 4.25-5

·       Gauge: US 6/4mm, 2.25-2.75 stiches per inch

The yarn is too big and at the same time looks too loose in the knitted swatch. The swatch doesn't feel floppy, but it doesn't feel like it would hold up to wear and tear.

The tighter plied yarn has these specs:

·       WPI: 8

·       YPP: 725

·       Bumps Per Inch: 6-7

·       Gauge: US 6/4mm, 3 stitches per inch

I like this yarn and swatch much better. It feels durable enough to be an everyday sweater and I like how the stitches look.

What does it all mean? I’m really close, but I need more samples. I don’t mind making a lot of samples, especially if I’m going to make a sweater. I want the yarn sample to be close enough to my dream specs that I would feel confident spinning a lot of yarn to match it. I may knit a second swatch using the tighter plied yarn and knit it at a tighter gauge, but I have a nagging feeling that just knitting tighter won’t work.  I’m going to spin a tiny bit thicker in my single and see if I can’t up my WPI a little. I still want a tighter ply for stitch definition without making the yarn too heavy. I like the grist of these yarns, a bit lighter than the commercial yarn.

I’m looking forward to some TV binging, spinning and knitting time over Christmas. I hope you have a happy and peaceful day or two in your pjs!

My Own Tiny Library

I've always wanted a tiny library of my own. We live on a circle with not much traffic, so there's no point in putting a little giveaway library in front of my house. I'm a big fan of books and reading. I've worked for bookstores and a publisher, volunteered at the school library. I love to put books into people's hands.  One year we gave away books for Halloween, it was a surprising hit. Books have always been an important part of my life. My favorite question is , "What are you reading?"  I write books, I review books and my husband is a book rep; we have a lot of books flowing in and out of our house and garage.

If we lived on a street with more traffic I would have a fantastic tiny library out front. Instead, here's my version, the back of my car. Along with the usual detritus that floats around a car, I have a big box of books. When I run into friends, neighbors and acquaintances out and about in the worldI ask, "do you need a book?" and let them rummage in the back for something that strikes their fancy.

It's not elaborate or cute, but it gets the job done and is really satisfying.

What are you reading?

The Sweet Georgia Show & Teaching at Loop

Thank you to everyone who let me know they were struggling to do anything creative after the election. I am still knitting chunky cowls, but at a slower pace. It feels good to make things, no matter how slowly. My spinning wheels are all poised with a project to-be sitting in front of them; I can't wait to get started on every single project. I'm not feeling patient, more antsy and needy. Needy in the sense that I need to make lots of things all at once. It's coming and I'm feeling happy about it.

Is anyone sick of hearing me talk about my book? I'm not sick of talking about it!

Felicia Lo recently asked me to be on her podcast The Sweet Georgia Show and it aired yesterday. We had a great time talking about spinning, weaving and of course, color. I think we're going to run away together and spin and weave on a desert island. You can find the show on her website, iTunes and Stitcher.

Do you live in or near Philly? Come spin with me at Loop  January 20th - 22nd! We're having a spin-in on Friday night, I'll sign books and have the Yarnitecture trunk show with me. On Saturday I'm teaching Yarnitecture , a class based on my book (Hey, I wrote a book! I'm still excited by it!). On Sunday I'm teaching Twist & Ply: The Difference Ply and Twist Make to Your Knitting and Cheaper By the Dozen: 12 Ways to Spin Variegated Top. There's more information on the Loop blog. Oil your wheel, come down and play in the fiber!

Saved By Chunky Cowls

Right after the election I was sad, angry and scared for so many people that I love and for so many people I don't know. I was a tornado of emotions, just a mess. I couldn't knit or spin, I just sat, occasionally yelling or crying. I usually can spin or knit my way through almost anything, it's a stress reliever, it's calming, it's repetitive, but I just couldn't do it. The closest I got was hand winding balls of yarn.

More yarn to cowl

Until late last week. I saw Rachel Atkinson's Cecelia Cowl and had to make one, right that instant. I found the exact yarn in my stash, cast on and knit until it was done. Then I dug out more bulky yarn and knit another cowl in a single stitch and I'm onto my third cowl. I'm feeling better, still a whirlwind of emotion, but now with less sorrow and more cussing. I've donated money, called Senators and Congresspeople and am making a plan to volunteer.

I've knit three cowls in less than a week and the need to keep making them is not going away. Thankfully my LYS has a great selection of chunky yarn and I suspect I'll start spinning big yarn soon. It's getting me through, clearing my head, focusing my thinking on how and what I want to fight for during this next presidency. I'll be the one out there wearing a chunky cowl.

On the Road: The Gathering

Do you really need to see anything more than that photo? The Gathering this year was held at Lake George, New York in the Adirondacks. Look at that lake! The Gathering is the Northeast Handspinners' Biennial retreat and I was a lucky-duck to get to teach there.

Beth Smith taught this year too and we traveled together, which of course meant the hunt for superior hot chocolate and fountain pens and ink. We found both in Buffalo, New York.

I taught Colorplay and Fractal Frolic and had some of the nimblest spinners I've had yet. They asked fantastic questions that are sending me back to sampling and are the first group I've had to spin all the way through their Fractal Frolic fiber.

There was a spin in with live music and a tasty marketplace. I finally got to meet Casey from Port Fiber. I had a fan girl moment and might have done a bit of shopping at her booth. I saw several Devices in action, including Device #1. I drooled a little, but I really don't need another wheel. There was even a wedding at our hotel. It took place looking our at the view of the top photos.

I visited with some old friends and met so many new people at this event. I know I need to get back to New England soon. Thank you for having me Northeast Handspinners!

Spinning for a Project: Matching a Yarn

This week I picked apart, literally, the yarn my friend Carla is using for her Beekeeper's Smock. I'm going to try to match it with my Cormo/Romney fiber with a few changes.

The yarn is Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn Over, a yarn that is a mixture of many fibers. It's more than a wool pool yarn it's a mill pool yarn - it's made of leftover fibers from the mill that normally would go to waste. The yarn is tweedy, with a woolen prep and worsted draft, it's dense and sturdy. It's smooth-ish, the combination of a big variety of fibers and woolen prep makes it slightly fuzzy.

When I try to match a yarn, I gather every piece of information I can on the the original yarn. 

I start with the fiber. Since there is no single or even a couple of clear breeds in this yarn, I'll go with my impressions. There is a silkiness to the yarn leading me to believe that there is either a long wool or mohair as part of the mix. The majority of the fibers are middle of the road length-wise, like Corriedale and it doesn't seem like their are any fine wools in this mix. This yarn wouldn't be next-to-the-neck comfortable for many people, but would make amazing outerwear.

The prep looks like it was woolen and it was likely spun with a worsted draft

Here are the measurements I gathered:

• WPI: 8-10, Aran weight
• Yards Per Pound: 600
• Ply: 2-ply
• Ply angle finished; 22 degrees
• Ply bumps per inch: 5
• Ply direction: S

When I spin my yarn I will keep the WPI and number of plies the same. This will help me get the knitting gauge the pattern calls for.

My fiber is two distinct breeds - Cormo and Romney. The Romney will lend a sturdiness to the yarn, but the Cormo will make it softer, less tough yarn.

My fiber is roving and I will spin it woolen, that in combination with my fiber blend tells me that my YPP, will be different. My yarn will be less dense, so the YPP number will be higher, maybe around 800.

I will wait and see about ply angle and BPI. I may want a tighter ply than balanced for this sweater. Since my yarn won't be as dense or strong as the yarn called for in the pattern, adding ply twist is one way to add a little more durability to the knitted fabric. I will have to sample and swatch before I know for sure.

Now I need to spin and knit!

Spinning For a Project: The Idea

Beekeeper's Smock by Kate Salomon. Photo @greenmountainspinnery

When I was at Rhinebeck I fell in love with so many sweaters, but one keep tapping me on the shoulder, The Beekeeper'sSmock by Kate Salomon of Green Mountain Spinnery. It looks like something I would wear and something that I would actually finish. It didn't hurt that all of my fiber buddies with me want to make it too. One even bought the pattern and the yarn there and then. It has pockets, come on, I have to make it.

Then I fell in fiber lust with a blend of fiber I'd not spun before Cormo/Romney roving from Blackberry Hill Farm. It's a gorgeous grey/brown and has this wonderful soft-yet-sturdy hand. At first I didn't buy any. It took me until almost the end of the show to put this fiber together with my pattern crush. It would be excellent fiber to spin yarn for the sweater. I bought two pounds! It's going to be perfect.

The pattern calls for an Aran weight yarn, 14 stitches to 4 inches in stockinette. I asked my friend who bought one of the yarns suggested (Green Mountain Spinnery Yarn Over ) for a few inches to study the structure before I start spinning and sampling.

I'm going to go through all of the steps of matching a commercial yarn to spin a pattern here on the blog. The next step is to analyze the yarn and pattern to see what I want to keep and what I want to change in my yarn for my sweater.