Let the Good Times Roll
July 7, 2006 By
Are you ready for my fabulous fantastic idea? Guaranteed to bring you hours and hours of crazy goodness?
Allow me to introduce…
The Chance Log Cabin. Version #1.
I was going to wait until I was a bit farther along, but I tossed and turned all night last night thinking about it so I have to get it out. I’ve been sitting on it for a couple of weeks now and it’s just turning my brain to mush. Thank god for a little project called Spin Out because otherwise I would’ve gone absolutely batty waiting for my new yarn.
The Inspiration!
The inspiration for this project comes from two very distinct sources. First of all, the colors are directly inspired by this fanfabgeous (I’m forced to make up my own superlatives these days!) quilt from Gee’s Bend. I just love the colors in it – red, pink, white, black and brown. I had orginally planned on trying to copy the quilt but when the other idea sprang to mind – well, I knew these were the colors I would use.
Okay. Deep breath. So the other day I wrote this post about how to build a log cabin. I was kind of being tongue-in-cheek with the whole X=the limits of your imagination and I was also being completely serious. I don’t want people to be constrained with patterns in this great log cabin experiment. I want people to think outside the square, so to speak. And then I was thinking, hell, why don’t we just take away all of the freedom in it and let some random number generator pick X. And then I thought FUCK! WHY DON’T WE LET SOME RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR PICK X?!?!?! FREAKING GENIUS!
So that’s just what I’m doing. And the best part? You can do it too. AND EVERY SINGLE PROJECT WILL BE DIFFERENT.
The Technique!
Here’s how I’m doing mine. I chose five colors of yarn. I then chose the ORDER of the yarn, ie, which color I would use first, second, third, fourth, fifth – I’m sticking with this sequence. Then I went to the RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR. The link takes you to the one I like to use but there are probably a million others out there. Choose which one you like best. (You could also use dice to get a random number. It’s pretty much the same thing.) I asked the RNG to pick ONE number between ONE AND TWENTY. Let’s say it picked 10. This is the NUMBER OF STITCHES I cast on for my first log cabin “strip.” (I put strip in quotes because who knows what shape it will actually come out to be.)
I cast on ten stitches with the yarn I decide is A in the order. Then I go to the RNG and ask it to choose another number between 1 and 20. Let’s say it picks 13. I then proceed to knit 13 GARTER STITCH RIDGES – which is actually 26 rows. I bind off all stitches except for the last, turn the work CLOCKWISE, change yarns to color B and pick up the stitches along the edge of strip 1. Then back to the RNG I go and have it choose another number between 1 and 20. Let’s say it picks 5. I then proceed to knit 5 garter stitch ridges. Then I bind off all but the last stitch, turn the work clockwise, change yarns to color C and pick up the stitches along the next ridge. Go back to the RNG and have it pick a number between 1 and 20. Say it picks 5 again (because that can totally happen when things are random) and proceed to knit 5 garter stitch ridges. Keep going, having the RNG pick the number for the next log cabin strip and changing yarns until you’ve used all five yarns you’ve selected (or how ever many yarns/colors you’ve chosen.) Then start the color/yarn sequence all over again. Knit the blanket, picking up for new strips and getting random numbers until you decide it’s big enough.
Before I sat down to knit, I chose numbers for two rounds of color – so 10 numbers. I figured that would keep me busy until I needed to pick the next ten numbers. The whole blanket is COMPLETELY RANDOM! I have NO CONTROL over what happens next. When I was telling my dear friend Ann about it she said “You’re totally going to hate the numbers that come up.” And I said, TRUE, but the whole idea is that the PROJECT IS OUT OF MY HANDS. If I’m going to do this I have to surrender my fate to the number machine and DO WHAT IT TELLS ME! Talk about an exercise in letting go! I have to say, I haven’t liked a bunch of the numbers that have come up already, but that isn’t stopping me from following the course of THIS PARTICULAR BLANKET. Besides, the next one will be totally DIFFERENT.
My plan is to knit until I run out of yarn. I have one skein of each color – so five skeins, but that’s 1750 yds total. Of course, the colors will not be used evenly, but I’m hoping for a decent sized piece. I see these log cabins as pieces of art – not necessarily as functional pieces, so however it comes out – well – that’s what the fates decree!
The inevitable question. The yarn. I’m using Socks That Rock in Heavyweight – The pink is Cotton Candy, the red is Lover’s Leap, the black is Black Onyx, the white is Rock Salt and the brown is Earth. Call or email Blue Moon Fiber Arts for availability.
Are you as excited as I am about this?! Oh my god it’s killing me it’s so good! 😉
In case you’re wondering, I haven’t given up on the Palette Blanket – I’m actually making good progress on the FIRST square:
I’ve got the one organgish color started, then another redder orange, then red, then pink to go and the central square is finished. This is a really ambitious piece – and this is only the first element. This one has taken and will take a lot of careful planning, so it’s really nice to have the Chance Log Cabin to go along with it – no thought there!
Thanks for indulging my crazy crazy passions! I hope you enjoy them!
L, C
Spin Out: Wheel of Fortune!
July 5, 2006 By
And back to the random number generator we go!
PRIZE #7:
Sheep to Shawl!:
— Spirit Trail Fiberworks presents the Spin and Knit a Shawl kit with 7 oz of exotic fibers including mongolian cashmere, llama top, baby camel top, baby suri alpaca top, baby alpaca top and super angora top
— $25.00 gift certificate to The Yarn Tree
— The Spinner’s Companion by Bobbie Irwin from Spin Off/Interweave Press
— Fibre Wash and Fibre Rinse kit from Unicorn Fibre
And the winner is…
Prize #8:
Yarn! Yarn! Yarn! We’ve got:
— 2 skeins Bernat lana from Marie
— 82 yds of Wool Mohair Hand Spun yarn from Stone Leaf Moon
— 400yds of Handpainted Merino, Red, from Made By Ewe
— Rivers Edge Hand Spun 156 yds Winter Gold (angora and lurex)
— Rivers Edge Hand Spun 2 skeins Hand Dyed Mohair Locks (56 yds each)
— Five Felted Bag patterns from Black Sheep Bags
— Two pair Serendipity Designs Knitting Needles, sizes 8 and 15, from Roxy Yarns
— Big Needle Knitting from Roxy Yarns
And the winner is…
Prize #9:
FIber From Around The World!!
— Two fiber collections from Blue Moon Fiber Arts: The Eastern Luxury Collection contains Yak, Baby Camel/Tussah Silk Top, Mongolian Cashmere Top, Mulberry Silk and Baby Camel Top. The Western Luxury Collection Contains Wensleydale Locks, Super Merino/Angora Top, Baby Suri Alpaca Top, Super 150’s Merino Top and Llama Top.
— 4oz Mane Hair Buffalo Fiber and 4oz Buffalo Felting Fiber from Buffalo Gold
— One year subscription to Wild Fibers Magazine
— The Spinner’s Companion by Bobbie Irwin from Spin Off/Interweave Press
— Fibre Wash and Fibre Rinse kit from Unicorn Fibre
And the winner is…
Prize #10:
Gorgeous YARN!
— Sample Pack of Buffalo Yarn in various weights from Buffalo Gold
— Handpainted Silk/Merino in the Bramble Berry colorway from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio
— One Silk Lace hank and three skeins of Aran Silky Merino from Sundara Yarns. Winners choice of colors.
— Two handformed glass buttons from Sheila Ernst
— Gorgeous hand turned Rosewood Knitting Needles, size 11, from Crown Mountain Farms
And the winner is…
Prize #11:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— 570 yds of handpainted superwash merino in the Emerald Isle colorway from Sunshine Yarns
— 280 yds Speed Demon Sock Yarn in the Coal Harbour colorway, handpainted, from SweetGeorgia Yarns
— 560 yds of handpainted Superwash Merino fine fingering weight yarn in the Knit Commando colorway from All Things Heather
— 280 yds of handpainted Superwash Merino sport weight yarn in the Cousin It Stripe colorway from All Things Heather
— The Waterlily Socks pattern from Sivia Harding Knit Design
— A copy of Knit Lit (too) from Jeannine Bakriges
And the winner is…
Prize #12:
Color! Colo
r! Color!
— 8 oz Hand dyed Superwash Wool/Mohair/Nylong blend in The Rainbow Connection colorway by The Gabby Knitter
— 100g Bluefaced Leicester, handpainted, from SweetGeorgia Yarns
— 2 oz Kid Mohair/Merino handpainted roving from Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio
— 4 oz Bluefaced Leicester in the Joseph’s Coat colorway from Lisa Souza Knitwear & Dyeworks
— A Grafton Fibers Swan Spindle
in Pear (whorl) and Ebony (shaft)
— The Spinner’s Companion by Bobbie Irwin and Homespun Handknit edited by Linda Ligon from Spin Off/Interweave Press
— Fibre Wash and Fibre Rinse kit from Unicorn Fibre
And the winner is…
Prize #13:
The Rivers Edge Hand Knit Collection includes 5 yarn kits with patterns:
— Autumn Gold Handspun (yak, cotton and lurex)
— Blue Waves Handspun (wool, cotton, silk)
— Earth’s Harmony, Pink Peony colorway (baby alpaca, tussah silk singles, hand painted tencel)
— Earth’s Harmony, Mystic Cloud colorway (baby alpaca, tussah silk singles, hand painted tencel)
— Fawn (alpaca and tussah silk)
— Grafton Fibers Rosewood Circular Knitting Needles, US 8 and Crochet Hook
And the winner is…
Prize #14:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— Interlacements Toasty Toes, Color 407 and Interlacements sock pattern from the Simply Sock Yarn Company
— 350 yds Sophie’s Toes Sock Yarn in the Handsome Park Ranger (hand dyed) colorway
— Two skeins Superwash Sock in the Berry colorway, handpainted, from SweetGeorgia Yarns
— 485 yds of handpainted Superwash Merino sock yarn in the Tuxedo colorway from All Things Heather
— A copy of Knit Lit (too) from Jeannine Bakriges
And the winner is…
Prize #15:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— Interlacements Texas sock yarn, Color 204 from Roxy Yarns
— 350 yds Sophie’s Toes Sock Yarn in the Summer in the City (hand dyed) colorway
— Two skeins Superwash Sock in the English Bay colorway, handpainted, from SweetGeorgia Yarns
— 280 yds of handpainted Superwash Merino sport weight yarn in the Cousin It Stripe colorway from All Things Heather
— The Cherry Blosson Socks pattern from Sivia Harding Knit Design
— A copy of Knit Lit (too) from Jeannine Bakriges
And the winner is…
Prize #16:
Knit In STYLE!
— Lady B Knitting Bag from Lexie Barnes in the Dutch Treat
— 400 yds Handpainted Superwash Merino Sock Yarn from Woolarina
— A copy of Knit Lit (too) from Jeannine Bakriges
And the winner is…
CONGRATULATIONS ALL! There are still a few more prizes to come – I’m not sure how many because I haven’t received all of the prizes yet. I might not annouce the rest for a couple of days depending on the mail. Thanks for all the comments on the Knitty article – it was a lot of fun to write and I gotta say – I didn’t realize how emotional it all was for me until I started reading the article out loud to a couple of people. I could barely get through it I was crying so hard. THANK YOU AGAIN for all the good you’ve done. I’m really honored and touched by you all!
Regular posts should resume any day now. I’m super busy – but I’ve got some FANTASTIC ideas to share. Hopefully I’ll be back to regular blogging soon.
Spin Out: Turn that Frown Upside Down!
July 5, 2006 By
The babies just left with my sister and I’m devastated! It’s always SO MUCH worse for me when they leave me than when I leave them! My house is a mess, yes, but too too quiet!
So let’s make someone else happy!
PRIZE #1:
A gorgeous basket put together by WEBS, it includes:
— 10 balls Valley Yarns Longmeadow in color Mauve
— 10 hanks Valley Yarns Stockbridge in Natural
— 3 pair Valley Yarns 14″ Bamboo Needles (sizes 5, 7 & 9)
— $10.00 Gift Certificate for WEBS
And the winner is…
(Michelle! I don’t have an email for you! Can you please email me or leave a comment or if someone knows Michelle? Thank you!)
Prize #2:
It’s a FIBER FEST! We’ve got:
— 1.5 oz of 100% Pure American Bison Down from Buffalo Gold
— 4 oz of Wensleydale top, Bird of Paradise colorway from Lisa Souza Knitwear & Dyeworks
— 2 oz of Handpainted Tussah Silk, Sangria colorway from Spunky Eclectic
— a beautiful braid of Handpainted 80% Merino/20% Tussah Silk from Hello Yarn
— 2 oz of Handpainted Superfine Alpaca/Blue Face Leicester from the Capistrano Fiber Arts Studio
— A beautiful handpainted spindle from Made By Ewe
— One year subscription to Wild Fibers Magazine
— The Spinner’s Companion by Bobbie Irwin from Spin Off/Interweave Press
— Fibre Wash and Fibre Rinse kit from Unicorn Fibre
And the winner is…
Prize #3:
This is a really special prize – I had to pry it out of Ann’s hot little hands when she delivered it!
— A Circa 1940 Vintage Knitting Needle Collection which includes a Bakelite Knitting Needle Box and Halex Faux Tortoise Shell Needle Collection in sizes 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 in 12″ and sizes 1,2,3,4,5,6 in 9″. This prize was GENEROUSLY donated by Peggie Ehlers of Rivers Edge Wool & Fibre.
— A copy of Knit Lit (too) from Jeannine Bakriges
— Two handformed glass buttons from Sheila Ernst
And the winner is…
Prize #4:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— Three skeins “Tough Stuff” Hard-wearing Sock Yarn, Pimpernel colorway from Libertina Yarns
— Two skeins Bernat SOX! from Marie
— One skein SOCK! Merino (560 yds) in the What A Melon colorway from Lisa Souza Knitwear & Dyeworks
— Yarntini hand dyed sock kit in Pure Knits colorway (430 yds) and Pure Pink Shot of Solid (210 yds) from Pure Knits
And the winner is…
Prize #5:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— Three skeins “Tough Stuff” Hard-wearing Sock Yarn, Lagoon colorway from Libertina Yarns
— Two skeins Bernat SOX! from Marie
— Two skeins Sock Hop hand spun sock yarn in the Love Me Tender colorway from Crown Mountain Farms
— Yarntini hand dyed sock kit in Pure Knits colorway (430 yds) and Pure Pink Shot of Solid (210 yds) from Pure Knits
And the winner is…
Prize #6:
SOCKS! SOCKS! SOCKS!
— Socks That Rock Fair Isle Sock Kit #1, which contains 1 skein Farmhouse (mediumweight) and 1 skein Watermelon Tourmaline (mediumweight) and 30 yards of solid in 24 Karat, Beryl and Ruby Slippers from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
— Fair Isling on Blue Moon, a book of Fair Isle sock patterns from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
— FIVE skeins of Project Spectrum Sock Yarn from C*EYE*BER Fiber – one for every color of Project Spectrum! (Hey – have you seen the cruise Mama E’s putting together? Fabulous! If I wasn’t completely claustrophobic of large ships and vast bodies of water, I’d be there in a h
eartbeat! If just to meet Eunny!)
And the winner is…
Whew! CONGRATULATIONS ALL! More prizes coming ASAP! I’m still getting prizes in the mail. And don’t forget to check out the NEW KNITTY! My article about Spin Out is up in Knittyspin! YAY! Thanks Jillian and Amy! It looks great!
Spin Out: GRAND PRIZE WINNER!
July 4, 2006 By
Ellen D.
of Virginia
Ellen wins the Majacraft Suzie Pro Spinning Wheel GENEROUSLY donated by Toni Neil at The Fold and Tina Newton of Blue Moon Fiber Arts.
Congratulations Ellen!
Thank you all for participating!
More winners announced tomorrow!!
Happy 4th of July!
July 1, 2006 By
Spin Out: 17360
June 30, 2006 By
Honeys, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?
The good news is 17360. That’s right.
That’s how much money we raised when I tallied this morning. That’s over $3,000 in ONE FREAKING DAY! Nothing like waiting until the last minute! LOL! I checked this morning and the registry was closed but I opened it up again for just today. I WANT $18,000!!! This whole thing started out with a “To Life” theme with the whole Double Chai and everything. Well, there nothing more CHAI than 18 (which is the number the hebrew letters for the word for life add up to) so let’s do it. I promise I won’t ask for anymore money. Well, at least not until we do this again next year. GO HERE TO GIVE! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
I’ve got ONE MORE PRIZE to annouce as well. This one was actually offered up pretty early, but stupid me lost track of the email when things got going so she gets her very own spotlight.
The original Knitgrrl, Shannon Okey, has generously offered one winner a personalized signed copy of her not even released yet book, Spin to Knit.
The book isn’t do to be released until October, but the winner will get their hot copy right off the presses a bit early. THANK YOU Shannon! This is definitely one I’ll want on my book shelf!
Okay. I said there was bad news, right. Well, it’s not really bad, it just impatient kind of bad. I know I promised you a great long post with lots of pictures about last Saturday’s actual Spin Out. I kinda sorta lied. But I didn’t know I was lying!!! I swear. Turns out when the fabulous chicas, Jillian and Amy, at Knittyspin found out that Wild Fibers didn’t want my article anymore, they pounced! So I’m writing the article for them – look for it sometime next week. And, of course, when it’s there you’ll hear from me! This is a really really good thing for all of us, but I’m sorry if some of you are disappointed.
Of course, now I have to go BACK to writing the article. My sister and the kids are coming today and I spent all day yesterday cleaning bathrooms and I was going to write all night and then I fell asleep. It’s coming Jillian! It’s coming!
Tomorrow I will annouce our final Heifer total and I will start awarding prizes on July 4th – at which time I will pick the GRAND PRIZE SPINNING WHEEL WINNER! Then I will announce a winner or two every day until I’m done with prizes. I’m hoping to have at least 15 VERY impressive gift bundles. Maybe more. Prizes are STILL rolling in!
I know I’ve said it a million times, but this time I mean it. 😉
Spin Out: NOT GIVING UP!
June 29, 2006 By
We’re thisclose to the goal. I’m NOT GIVING UP!
WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!
I’m not sure of the total at the moment, but some incredibly generous folks MADE SURE we made the goal and THEN SOME! I’m in a frenzy at the moment with cleaning and my dad stopped in for a visit and I’ve got so much to do, but I’ll be back a bit later with a new total. DON’T STOP NOW! We’ve still got a whole day to go! HOW HIGH CAN WE GET THIS?!?!
The Heifer Registry will close tomorrow and even if we don’t get to our goal, I can’t tell you how proud I am of this effort. I truly believe that world peace is accessible – just put the FIBER COMMUNITY on the job and IT WILL BE DONE! WE CAN DO IT! Thank you all so so much.
I’ve got a few more prizes to announce: Linda at Stone Leaf Moon is sending us one of her inspiring and unique handspun yarn creations; Jennifer of Knit Notes has offered up a set of her amazing cards; Helen of Bay Colony Farm is sending us some of her fantastic bunny fiber and Cathy Cooper handed me some gorgeous Grafton Fiber batts last weekend! ! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Tomorrow will be my wrap up post on Saturday’s event and all of the fundraising. I haven’t posted yet because I was maybe going to write something up for Wild Fibers Magazine, but that fell through – so the entry is coming!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
How To Build A Log Cabin.
June 29, 2006 By
Using the Long Tail Cast-On, cast on X number of stitches. Knit X number of rows then bind off all stitches except for the last one. Turn work counter- clockwise and continuing with the same yarn or starting with another, pick up X number of stitches across the entire edge. Knit X number of rows then bind off all stitches except for the last one. Turn work counter- clockwise and continuing with the same yarn or starting with another, pick up X number of stitches across the entire edge. Knit X number of rows then bind off all stitches except for the last one. Turn work counter- clockwise and continuing with the same yarn or starting with another, pick up X number of stitches across the entire edge. Rinse and repeat. Edited because I’m an idiot! Thanks Larissa!
X = whatever number your imagination can withstand.
The Palette Log Cabin
June 28, 2006 By
I think every artist who succeeds (in their own terms) has some ability to keep moving forward in the face of constant obstacles…emotional, mental, financial, physcial…and that is what sets them apart from those who always talk about trying or starting but never get beyond the talking stage. I WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD, AND I WANTED TO FIND A WAY TO WORK MORE ABSTRACTLY.
I’ve started on my next Log Cabin piece. I’m calling it Palette. I’ve been thinking and thinking and thinking about this new project. To the point where my brain is going to explode. I was going to wait for some new yarn but the need to get started was too strong so I decided against it and I’m going to use all of the yarns in this picture plus one extra (it’s kind of orangey):
I just bought two new books: Debbie New’s Unexpected Knitting and Nancy Crow’s Nancy Crow. I’ve only really briefly looked through the New but I think it will be a great resource once I can get past the chemistry textbook feel. It’s a nice resource for knitting different shapes.
And then there’s the Crow. I was sitting in my car the other day waiting for my guru Kay when she ran out and threw Nancy Crow’s book at me and told me it would “blow my fucking mind” then she left. When Kay returned to the car, my brains were indeed splattered all over my brand new car. I was caught between tears of joy and tears of Damn that Kay!!! Nancy Crow is my new hero. And not just because she takes color and shape and line and does miraculous things with FABRIC – the way a different kind of artist works with paints or ink or whatever medium. It’s because she GETS IT! The book is filled with her sketchbook notes and thought and ideas and OBSESSIONS! “As I moved on with the new series I became consumed by it. Ideas flooded my brain, overwhelming me with possibilities, pushing me to make quilt after quilt.” (Nancy Crow, p. 87) THAT’S EXACTLY HOW I FEEL! A couple of weekends ago I myself was absolutely consumed by this new piece. I was sitting at the computer making squares in Photoshop, filling them in with color. Then I was sketching things out on scraps of paper. Then I was telling anyone who would listen about what I wanted to do. I couldn’t get it out of my brain fast enough! The creativity was PHYSICAL. I used to get this way with my writing, but I haven’t felt it in a long long time and here it is! Still being creative, but in a new way. It’s fabulous and frustrating and wonderful and scary all at the same time.
No fears. I’m not abandoning my knitting for fabric. Although I’ll never say never because it always comes back to bite you on the ass. You see, the thing I love best about studying the art in Nancy Crow’s book or The Gee’s Bend Quilts is that I CAN SEE THEM KNITTED! I think garter stitch and log cabin construction are the perfect compliment to quilts. The binding off and picking up of stitches – which makes seams – mimics the stitching in quilts. And I’m lucky enough to have an amazing color artist in Tina Newton, from Blue Moon Fiber Arts, as inspiration for my “fabrics.” So I’ve got my canvas and I’ve got my paints and I am raring to go.
I so feel my limitations – I’m not a very adventurous knitter skill wise. I don’t feel like I have the chops to just throw a short row in here or bind off there and pick up here or decrease or increase. Right now the most important thing for me is color and execution. Hopefully I will be able to branch out in my forms. I need to take more chances with my work. What’s the worst thing that can happen? It doesn’t work out? So I rip it. The real problem is that I’m so so impatient. I want it done NOW. I don’t sit and tinker ever. I need a goal to work toward. I need to start tinkering.
I will be starting the Log Cabin Knits blog sometime soon – it’ll probably be after July 1st though because I’m trying to learn to be kinder to myself and not expect myself to be able to do everything at once and I’m also learning to say no. So I’ll have the site up when it’s ready, whenever that will be. Soon though. I envision something akin to Whip Up, which I really like. A beautiful place to share ideas and inspirations and techniques – a working collective of sorts. I would encourage all who would like to join to start up their log cabins. Don’t wait on me. There will be no rules or patterns or anything – just creativity! I’m envisioning Show and Tell Fridays where we all show our squares or blankets or progress or inspirations, but that’s the only special thing I’ve come up with so far. This isn’t a typical knit along at all. I aspire it to be something that grows and expands with our knowledge and skills and really the only limits I see are our ideas. There will be no deadlines. No real goals except what we ourselves can accomplish.
I’m very, very excited about all of it. Thank you.
The yarn I’m using for my project is Socks That Rock in Heavyweight from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Please see the extended entry for yarn colors and purchase information.
