If the Sheet Fits...

I have been more involved in the daily domestic side of keeping the house in running order for a little over two months now.  During that time I have learned many things that my wife has known for years, some I have learned on my own and other items she has helped me with...some I have even blogged about because I think this information is worth your time to read and my time to write.
BED SHEETS---
I'm not sure what style of King we have, but I do know that most of the bottom fitted sheets fit differently.  I have on occasion had to re-fit multiple times in order to get (what I think) is the best fit.

There must be some additional instructions I can find...THE TAG! Just like a shirt you wear, shouldn't the tag be in a consistent location?  If it is, I have to assume that the following conditions apply-
#1- The top sheet should be facing inward (so if you cover your head you see the ribbing).
#2- The manufacture is consistent with the top sheet and the fitted portion.
#3- The quality of the sheet is such that the manufacture reallllly cares about where the tag is.
Now...With these assumptions in place I will continue to make the bed and resume my other domestic duties.

Vaya Con Dios, Rich

A Party to Dye for

This past weekend we had a Dye Party at our house.
The main purpose of this party was to Dye fiber, yarn, or any similar thing into a color that it wasn't.
We had three basic Dye stations set up for people to use, Crock-Pot, Immersion, and Space Dye.
The Crock pots were for those who wanted a somewhat variegated fiber, in a material that required heat (mostly wool).
The Immersion were big pots and a burner for those who were looking for one solid color and for materials that required heat.
The Space dye area was for people who wanted to be very creative with the location of the dye, it was also for materials that did not require heat (although some heat was good).
Most of the people that came had a better understanding of Dying than I did and I only provided a location and and set-up along with some materials if needed.
We all had a blast, and the results were wonderful.  As one lady put-it as someone else was leaving
"it looks like you have a Clown in a Blender".

Vaya Con Dios, Rich

The Rembrandt Beret

This is a knitted and felted project.
I wanted a beret that had that look of real big and sloppy, the kind that really requires a lot of nerve and attitude to wear.  A beret that could be worn in multiple ways, either off the back, or to the side.

I started with a very simple beret pattern, most of them are the same; head band, increase greatly, decrease gently.  I used a handspun merino, angora, and mohair blend (about 20 wpi) and knit on a #3 needle.  Since I was going to felt it, I increased the pattern by about 1.75.  As I was knitting, I figured I needed to know how long to make it, so it was then that I decided to knit and felt a swatch...I was surprised that the length shrunk more than the brim...OOPS....
Onward...After finishing the knitting portion, I felted, and felted, and felted, and could not get the brim anywhere near my head size.
So my wife had an idea and this is how I executed it. I took a scissor and cut a 2-1/2" length up the brim in 8 equally spaced areas around the perimeter.  Then I overlapped these areas by about 5/8" of an inch and needle felted them together. Boy, is my wife smart, after this it went back into the washer.  Needless to say, it looks planned, so planned that I might do it again on purpose.  The cuts into the brim caused an extreme decrease going into the wide part of the beret.
Lesson Learned----ALWAYS knit a swatch and FINISH as you intend to.

Vaya Con Dios, Rich

What's on the Rigid Heddle

I am currently doing some experiments with texture and ply on my Rigid Heddle.  I am working with some hand-spun of mine that is 80% wool / 20% silk (the color way is from
Red Fish Dye Works http://redfishdyeworks.com/ .
This is a single ply that is 22 wpi.  Yes, I used this in the warp, and Yes I have broken one warp so far.  I have also incorporated into the simple design a double warp thread every 1/2" with a triple warp thread on both sides of center.  You can see the textured ribs in the photo above.
Critique so far;
I don't have enough yarn left to finish a full size scarf, although it should be enough for a gentlemen's neck wrap.
The ribbing texture is a nice feature, I will do this again, with a little more gusto.
The single ply accentuates the design and color way, if I would have used a 2 ply for the warp, it would have kept me out of trouble, with all the breaking of the warp threads.

Vaya Con Dios, Rich

Storage of Finished Yarn

Just a little demo of what I do with my finished Yarn.
My drawers are full and I don't knit or weave to keep up with my spinning.  As we all know a weaver can weave in one hour what it takes all day for the spinner to accomplish.
So I took the spare warping board and hung it in my office.  If you look closely you will see that I have little sacks of lilac hanging there also to keep the critters away.

Vaya Con Dios, Rich