l'Atelier Chic Knits : Barny Yarny

Ode to the Fiber Fest

Crispy weather now beckons me back to the Barn.

Barn Yarn that is.

And once I got there, it was a case of Lost and Found! Now who (or maybe How/Why/WTF) would lose yarn? (Now we're not talking about the naughty projects that might have landed under the sofa or the mis-dyed skanks, ah skeins that find their way into Closet Oblivion.)

Dirty Little Secret: Who would lose yarn? ME - I've done it before, right about this very same week, September 23, to be exact, and It TOO was Barn Yarn - some fine fine CormoCross. What's really weird, is that all the other entries in the blog from that week have a Daily link on the calendar here, But NOT THAT DAY! Creepy MT rears its Halloweenie Head...

But I digress - I am going up to Michigan the week after next and those Sirens are a callin' - the very same sirens that make me make Holiday Sweaters are now hammerin' on me to make a nice little casual Walking the Dog Sweater.

SO I'm makin' a Wool Scoop du Jour.

AND because I could only find SOME of the yarn that I thought would be nice, I'm combining it with some other yarn and it will be two-toned: Dark Olive and Natural Sheep Grey.

And here's where the Ode to the Fiber Fest begins - this is typical yarn that you will find all over the country from yer MomEtPop herders. I believe there are only so many mills that spin! SO regionally, you have places where everyone brings their fleece after shearing and it magically twists up into wonderful 2 and 3-ply Barn Yarn!

The Natural Grey (actually looks very brown to me) Worsted is from Chester Farms, in Virginia. I saw them first at Maryland Sheep and Wool - their booth one of the first you find after you entered (2004) and it was stacked to the rafters with yarny goodness. Carolyn got some, I believe, pretty lilac wool cotton. I left empty handed but wandered round and round and round enthralled by the yarny wooly smell...

I did fall into their black hole, mail orderstyle, this late summer - got some black too! Gonna make a Black Aran Cardi (quick call the Priest - if we start the Exorcism now, we will save Time later!)

The Dark Olive is this

from one of my first dyeing attempts, back in November of last year. I have LOST TWO SKEINS of this yarn (seen here pre-dyed, in its natural Barney state). If you see it wandering around in a field at Rhinebeck, please email me here...

...see all entries here in the Complete Notes: Barny Yarny

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Ode to the Fiber Fest, cont...

Picture it, the barn that is: hay, critters, pens, dirt floor, boots,
wood, and more...

Move the wool to the mill - truck, shear, bundle, stack and spin...

Get it in my suitcase at the fiber fest - truck, tent, dirt, hay, sneeze, table, bag, ground (while I enjoy some fried dough)...

After all this, one just has to ask the question:

How Barny IS It?


just l@@k @all that dirt!~!

Well, my little city friends, we are giving this
3 's out of a possible 4...

We LOVE THAT!

***********************************************

1 - : mule spun scored @the LYS

2 - 's: hand-painting removed some of the field grass and hay

3 - 's: has barely been touched by human hands

4 - 's: still on the Sheep's Back

And the Best News for my 3Barny Wool is that after it got a soapy hot water DUNK, I was rewarded with this:

a nice, soft, beautiful piece of wooly goodness.

A little of my own elbow grease and I have something I can't get anywhere else!

Comments (5)

Ode to the Fiber Fest, cont...

yum - Mocha Barny

The wooly goodness has left the BarnYard!

So far, I have the sleeves and back done on Missy Scoop. To bring it out of the Country and into the City, I gave the pieces (as I finished them in turn cause for some reason I couldn't wait!) a hot soapy sink bath, then several rinses.

This could be called Ultimate Wet Blocking...

Then I spread it out to size on my rug and let it dry.

I'm diggin' the Dk Olive on the Natural Grey - the ribbing has a slighty wooly-er, felt-y-er texture going on and contrasts nicely with the almost tweedy, mocha bod...

I'm also keeping track of how much yarn I'm using by weighing it with my new best friend, Mr. Digital Scale...

...see all entries here in the Complete Notes: Barny Yarny...


Updated Yarn Lists Here:

Scoop du Jour

TWIST

Comments (9)

Ode to the Fiber Fest, cont...

Carlito would drool over this...

It's Friday, and I have no new threads to bragabboud.

I can sense a Wind of Keen Diappointed Astonishment blowing my way so instead I will brag about three of my most favorite possesions!

From L to R:

1. Mr. Chia Soldier: this hollow piece of Art is from WWII and has holes all over his head so you can grow Chia Hair (I need seeds, anybody?)

2. My New Digital Scale: WOWOWOWOW - my sister turned me on to this bad boy when I whined about figuring out postage in advance of mailing to avoid the 1+ hour I usually have to wait in line at the Division St Post Office. I got it on eBay. It is shown with a 3.7 oz. complimentary ball of Barn Yarn...

3. Ty the Jack Russell Terrior: or as I suspect, the Terror. This is currently my favorite dog photograph (I have a few). I found it at a flea market a long time ago - it is OLD and actually Sepia Toned. Someone wrote the name "Ty" on it with white ink. I think my Ty is better than that guy on Extreme Makover, who actually bounces off the wall alot like a Jack Russell might...

In other Knitting News: we have lift-OFF! POCKETS are now attempting orbit on the Scoop du Jour woolie...

Beth writes: "That was FAST! Wow! :-)"

Ye, m'am! This is a fusion project - I'm knitting the straight St st parts on the machine and doing all the ribs and bands by hand. So far, all the parts are *loomed* and I'm plugging away on all that rib.

...see all entries here in the Complete Notes: Barny Yarny...

Comments (9)

Can I put my hand in your Pocket? One of the reasons I'm so into Fusion Knitting (machine & hand knitting combined in the same garment), is that it can be a both a time saver and a mother of invention..

click all small pics for larger pix One of the differences between hand and machine knitting is that you always start machine knitting with a provisional cast-on. That leaves live stitches at the bottom of your piece - you unzip the waste yarn and put the stitches back on the needle to finish by binding off or maybe something MORE....

Apres knitting, but before finishing, I decided I wanted some *Purse Pockets* on my Scoop du Jour. QUE? I hate carrying a purse!!! No Problem! I attached my yarn to the WS of the piece, purled one row then knit about 4" of sts from the front edge.

Using another piece of yarn (from the outside of my ball) I did a long tail cast-on (cuz I like the look) to replace the next 4 or so inches. I used a contrasting color of scrap yarn to bind-off the corresponding body stitches to be worked later for the pocket lining. Then I finished the row and continued working the front ribbing to the bottom of the piece.

The pocket *front* was done when the ribbing was done, but now it needed a lining. That was what those reserved stitches were for - an interior *pocket* that would be sewn down after it was knit.

I decided to save some time and do it on the machine... You unzip the waste yarn from the reserved stitches, then hang them on the hooks, attaching some little weights to balance the load.

Then you KNIT! I made my pocket about 4" x 4" (it looks much longer here because of the weights...)

my little Purse Pocket !~ Almost hidden, but at the ready just big enough to carry a lipstick, bus pass and $$$...

...see all entries here in the Complete Notes: Barny Yarny...

...read all entries about Machine Knitting HERE

Comments (18)

Scoop du Jour

Pattern: Chic Knits
Designer: Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Cestari Farms Worsted & UNK Barn Yarn
Color: Dk Sheep Grey (5 sk) & Evergreen (2 sk)
Gauge: 18sts/24rows over 4"
Needles: #8

My sister took this picture of me after we walked the dogs out in the country by her house. I've been wearing this all week hiking and hanging out.

I blocked the sweater twice. The first goround I washed all the pieces in hot soapy water before sewing it together to get the spinning oil and barn dirt out. Block #2 was after I seamed and banded it to get it to final shape. The yarn totally changed in character becoming soft and fluffy and very wearable!

Like a good pair of jeans, I have a sneaking suspicion it will get better and better with continued wear and washing.

BARN YARN FOREVER!!!

My Mom, when she saw me in this sweater asked, "Where are your lederhosen?" WOOT!

...see all entries here in the Complete Notes: Barny Yarny