# New projects and improvements



## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

I've been busy.....what days I'm able to justify sitting around the house and all.

My latest project has been legwarmers. I have quite an assortment--old stock and new acquisitions-- of beiges, tans and browns, and I really like the natural wool color....and much of my stock is really soft mohair, and even some alpaca in a few cones stashed in the attic 

I've set up at the kitchen table for industrial strength knitting. 
Note the multiple skeins with the hook in the wall, above, that keeps the yarn from tangling..... after which the strands are directed to another hook that sits at 12 o'clock from my knitting position, keeping all strands straight, tensioned, and directly in the line of fire to facilitate the fastest and most efficient knitting.
Also note one finished legwarmer and the infant stages of its mate. 


























I have also finished my second bala-snuggly....in charcoal wool/mohair blend.


























This may get to be addicting. :bouncy:


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

I'm impressed!


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Wow! you either must have had a lot of time on your hands or you're getting really fast!

Great work, FR!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Way to hog up the entire kitchen table and build a spider-like trap for unsuspecting children. :thumb:

Here's an idea (feel free to disregard it).

A person who owns a spinningwheel could POSSIBLY go ahead and ply all those 5? 6!! yarns into one nice manageable ball and set it in a basket next to them to knit from. 

Your snugglybalaclala-lah is very nice. Who gets that one?

Keep up the good work!

Oh, and hows that purling going for you?


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Wow, quite an invention, forerunner. "Where there's a will, there's a way." Impressive!


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

Keep it up!! You are doing great and putting me to shame.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Woo Hoo! FR you are so creative. I confer and concur with the others, ply them all together and eliminate the hooks. Those leg warmers look really nice and warm. I've thought of making something like that but adding a heel onto it so it stays down closer to my foot. How high up the leg do yours go? 

I saw something yesterday in a newsletter I got that made me think of you. Now I need to go and find it and post it for you to see.

Good work FR!


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

The legwarmers were created as my answer to the cheapos that they try to pass off these days. Mine are three and a half feet long, with 12 inches of K2P2 at the top, six inches of K1P1 at the ankle, six ply, in various strands of wool and mohair, with those lovely (though a little thin) cones of alpaca blend throw in. I'm really enjoying knitting off these cones and watching them NOT disappear like a 40-50 gram skein does right under my nose. 
I am really happy with my knitting in the body of the legwarmers. It is loose and very soft. 

As for pre-plying my yarns, well....I have too great a variety going into this particular project, i.e.... I have a heavier gauge of mohair that isn't so soft worked into the ribbing at both ends, and a couple strands of, umm, embarrassingly soft mohair in the body.  
When I do _bust a move_ (as GAM once put it, long ago, while teasing me mercilessly in a private email, of all things ) and begin knitting my first sweater, I could see plying up 15 or 20 strands ahead of time,:heh: but then, I may just be too creative with that venture what with my use of different yarn blends in different areas of the project....so.... for now...I'll use my hooks. 
Oh, and GAM..... my kids are _never_ unsuspecting.:thumb:

As for the kitchen table, well.... it was made with work in mind.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Wow, impressive, incredible AND entertaining! Way to go.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

FR give GAM a ration of the proverbial poop back. She is working on her first sweater. Still no word on whether it is finished or not. I'm just hoping all the yarn matched. When you are ready for a sweater there is the EPS (Elizabeth's percentage system) to consider. Her daughter Meg perfected it. Basically it is a seamless, knit in the round sweater. If you like formulas you will love these sweaters and you can use whatever yarn you want.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

GAM will be ripping back about 5 skeins and completely reknitting the yoke on that sweater.
She is still heatbroken that it is so huge. :sob:

The yarn is all perfectly matching though.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

You do have my deepest sympathy....

My huge scarf was over halfway done.... about 6 100 gram skeins worth....when I found that I had pearled a few rows intermittently in the middle.
That was back when I wasn't too confident about ripping back surgically..... so I went back to square one. 

I, ummm.... won't even be casually glancing at any patterns when I set out to knit my first sweater. Gotta stick to established tradition, for now.
After making the balaclavas and legwarmers.....I have no doubts about knitting shoulder joints and turtlenecks..... nor sleeves..... nor cuffs, nor hems..... 
I suspect it won't be long. I'm thinking a charcoally black/gray what-have-you for the first, in a really chunky but comfortable wool/mohair blend of several shades mixed in a 5-8 strand composite just to keep it interesting.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

FR here is the thing I saw and thought of you. I have no idea why except they looklike chunky knit stuff, and interesting construction http://quinceandco.com/blog/

Using the EPS does not require any stinkin' pattern, that's the beauty of it all. You really should get into Elizabeth Zimmerman. She does not advocate using patterns, just ideas and the wings to fly with it all.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

GAM I am sorry to hear you are having to rip. What's that all about? Glad to hear the yarn all matches


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

It is all about the fact that garterstitch is a lot stretchier than I thought. It is about me measuring badly.
It is about the DH being so worried that it would be too small. 
Gah. 

Best of luck with yours, Forerunner.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

And you are listening to your husband why? LOL! Yep garter stitch is a lot stretchier than stockinette stitch. I would imagine that would be why it is put in the shoulder area, for the extra give.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

Cyndi was telling me about a woman who used formulas and no seams.
I wonder if they might not be one and the same ?

At the time, I had bigger fish to fry.... like mysteriously losing my ability to pearl after Cyndi left for home, :grumble: among other details of evasive knitting finesse.

Thanks for the link. Some of that stuff is almost chunky enough.


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## menagerie momma (Sep 29, 2008)

Oh my, that link! My husband is giving me the eye as I contemplate the yarn in all the glorious colors! I have loved every skein of yarn I have purchased so far, but I may just have found yarn paradise! Plus, a hat pattern I can't resist!

Jessie


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## katy (Feb 15, 2010)

FR, I have no pearls of wisdom for you, but you are doing great. My Mother could crochet anything without a pattern, if she could see an item she could duplicate it. There is a special admiration for that kind of talent. But you apparently see it in the mind's eye and go from there. Congratulations.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Forerunner said:


> Cyndi was telling me about a woman who used formulas and no seams.
> I wonder if they might not be one and the same ?


Yes, YES!!

You will like Elizabeth Zimmerman's way of knitting. She detested purling & sewing seams. She unvents 'patterns' just like you are doing, Tim. I have many of her books and I think her Knitting Without Tears is one you would enjoy and get a lot out of.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Totally agree with you Cyndi, Knitting without tears has FR written all over it.


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

*shuffles feet in mildly chagrined befuddlement*

Well, in my defense......I've yet to shed any _real_ tears as a result of my knitting endeavors....


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Lol fr!!!!!!


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## Mrs. Homesteader (May 10, 2002)

FR then you are ahead of me. I have had a few tears a couple of times.


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## Annie in MN (Oct 15, 2002)

Tears no. Outraged screams of frustration? Yes.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Ok, what in the world is this bala snuggly thingamajig? Looks like some wort of hat thingie? Got the legwarmers figured out though... )


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## Forerunner (Mar 23, 2007)

It's a hat.....and a neckwarmer..... and a scarf, of sorts....all in one.
Check out this thread for complete details and modeling of a similar piece.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=377170


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