Blog moving

This is the last entry that will be made on this blog. I was unable to change the name of this blog, and have therefore already created a new blog I host for Bex on my own server space. I'll leave the archives in place for reference but all new posts will be made on the new site:

Knit with Bex (knitwithbex.com)

Frogging the tangled web

If you were told she "just stepped out" or that she quit to be a stay-at-home mom, then you were misinformed. That much I know for fact.

The end of November Joan Ditmore fired Bex Oliger from her own shop, the one she built up from scratch with several years of hard labor. That much is fact. That much is truth. So much of the rest floating around in my head is rumor or supposition, but that much I know because I heard it from each of them with my own two ears.

Last January or so I overheard Joan talk about buying out Carol Leigh's interest in Bex's shop to help Bex gain greater independence and greater autonomy in marketing decisions. Joan is a generous woman. A good woman.

When it looked like the purchase was going to go through, Joan commented to me about her concerns about Bex having a baby and how it might affect her work at the shop, but I assured her it would work out and believed that it would. After all, Bex is bright and industrious, and Joan is a good generous woman. Could there be a better combination?

In late November, Joan fired Bex. I don't know why, but Joan must have had a very good reason, because Joan is a good generous woman.

It was a shock, to be sure, because I'd heard them discuss partnership and planning for Bex to get a percentage of the shop starting in January. If only they hadn't had their terrible falling-out barely a month before the partnership was to be consummated, it might have ended very differently. I don't know what happened to break up these two wonderful women, but it must have been terrible indeed, because Bex is bright and industrious and Joan is a good generous woman.

It left Joan in a terrible position. A mere three days before the biggest sale of the year for her shop, Joan was divested of three out of four of her staff. Chrizzy, of course, was already scheduled time off for her birthing class, and without Bex and Rose that left only Joan to fend for herself. And though Joan is a good generous woman, it would be a bit much for any woman to bear.

It left Bex in a terrible position, with a newborn and two teenagers to provide for just before Christmas. But I'm sure Joan had very good reasons. She must have had no other possible options because she is a good generous woman.

Still, it troubles me that though Bex was fired more than three months ago, her name and reputation are still being used to advertise Joan's shop to an international market via Joan's website. Surely these two businesswomen have worked out some arrangement so that Joan may benefit from using Bex's good name and reputation to build her fledgling business. Perhaps Joan is compensating her financially for the use of her name? It must be something like that, mustn't it, if Joan is a good generous woman?

I find myself troubled by things I cannot fathom. I know Bex is bright and industrious, and Joan is a good generous woman. That much is true. I know that Bex did not quit, that she is not perpetually out-to-lunch, and that she did not decide to be a stay-at-home mom, because, after all, she has started a brand new business in record time and is putting in 11 hour days, six days a week, while still caring for her family. That's more of a working-her-ass off mom than a stay-at-home mom or someone with the life of Lovey Howell.

Why then is Joan telling people that Bex wanted to be a stay-at-home mom? What has anyone to gain by such subterfuge? A good generous woman surely wouldn't lie about something like that.

I suppose there are many things that are beyond the comprehension of someone such as myself and always shall be. I should stop burning grey cells trying to figure it out.

What I DO know is that if you are looking for Bex, I've found her. I built a new blog for her, and she can also be found at her new yarn shop, True Blue Fiber Friends, which is having an open house this Saturday at 1206 Business Loop 70 East (near the intersection with College Ave). For details, call Bex at 573-443-8233.

Addi Lace vs Addi Turbo

Bex got a very limited supply of the new Addi Lace needles in. She only has a few sizes so don't get your hopes up too high. These needles are in very high demand and it may be a while before she can get a full supply.

There are enough, however, for me to do a head-to-head comparison between Addi Turbo needles and Addi Lace Needles. Those who know me know I am an avid lace knitter so I've been eagerly awaiting this new addition to the Skacel collection. Here's what I've found:



First off, price. The new Lace needles are about a dollar more than the Turbos. The packaging is similar so be sure to check whether you are getting the gold cables (Turbos) or the red cables (Lace) when you grab them off the shelves. Also remember to keep the original packaging. Addi needles, be they Naturas, Turbos, or Lace needles are guaranteed for life. You break 'em and Skacel will replace them. If you purchased your needles at Hillcreek, just bring them back to the shop, in their original packaging and if they are in stock, we'll trade. It's a great guarantee. We've had needles chewed by dogs, slammed in car doors and even accidentally cut with scissors. This guarantee isn't just for the odd burr (although you can trade in for that too). It's a serious lifetime guarantee.



Right out of the chute you notice the Turbos are silver colored with gold colored cables and the Lace needles are gold colored with red cables. You can tell at a glance which you are dealing with.

The silver Turbos have a special finish over brass to give a durable, very slick needle that can't rust. Ever. This finish causes the needles to glide effortlessly through stitches and are the joy of the speed knitter.

The gold Lace needles have hollow coated brass tips. The surface is ever-so-slightly textured. You can't really feel it unless you run a fingernail along it. This texture makes the Lace needles grip the stitches (though they are not as "grippy" as the Naturas, or most other bamboo needles). This can be an advantage in lace knitting. For some it may be an annoyance when knitting socks.



First I examined the cables. The Turbo cables are actually more flexible than the Lace cables. On closer inspection of the packaging, I saw the Turbos are claimed to have "very soft" cables and the Lace needles just "soft" cables. This checks with what I observed.



I'm always very concerned about the joint between the cable and the needle. This is where most circular needles flunk the patented Kirsten usability test. If it's going to snag my stitches or otherwise make it difficult to move the stitches off the cable and onto the needle, then I don't even want to bother with them. They absolutely must have a smooth joint. Both the Turbos and the Lace needles have a nice smooth joint.



The last thing I compared was the tips. As needles go, the Turbos have fairly sharp tips, but not as sharp as those of the Addi Lace needles. The extra sharp tips make it easier to pick up stitches for intricate maneuvers.

Over all, I like the new Lace needles, but I wish the cables were a little more flexible.

Newsletters are in!!!

We have a few thousand of the Spring newsletters hot off the presses and ready for folding. I've been working on the Shoppe's section of the mailing list. Bex cracked the whip this morning and I've been working my poor little fingers to the bone. (Don't let on I took a break to share this important tip with you.)

We need to get something like 8,000 of these newsletters folded, taped shut, stamped and addressed.

Here's my hot tip: if you stop by the shop this week, looking casual and like you have time on your hands, Bex will ask you if you'd like to have some yarn credits. The correct answer is "YES!" You'll be directed back to the clubhouse with other Hillcreek volunteers to prepare the newsletters for mailing. For each hour you volunteer, you will receive $5 in yarn credits to be applied to purchases of yarn from the shop.

Are you a student on a tight budget?

Do you have a taste for yarn that's out of your budget?

Is your stash still not big enough?

Then this is the chance for you to fulfill your wildest yarn fantasies. It's also a fun get together with other yarn fiends and chat, gossip and generally carry on in a boisterous and merry manner. Remember, if you aren't there, there's a good chance you'll be the topic of conversation....

A walk in my socks

Welcome to my fiber adventure.

I decided to make my first attempt at dying, spinning and knitting a pair of socks. Next time out I'll start with raw fleece and maybe by then I'll have my own fiber animals so I can do the whole process beginning to end.

This time, however, I started with Brown Sheep superwash Merino top. It's a modest investment at just $1/oz and a 4oz bag.



I wasn't crazy about the gold color (just not my style) so I decided to over-dye it during a Hot Topic "Play Day." The nicest thing about Play Days for the would-be dyer is the opportunity to traipse through Bex's personal collection of Country Classic Dyes. Instead of buying nine individual dyes for the nine colors I used on that Play Day, I just paid for the Play Day (the usual $15) and used nine colors for about what two hole jars would have cost me. A jar of Country Classics dye is $6.15 and can dye approximately two pounds of animal fiber depending on the desired intensity of color. It is not appropriate for vegetable fibers, but Bex has dyes for them too.

Yes, I know that Hillcreek is known for its natural fiber dyes. However, there is a certain appeal for the artisan who wants to jump right in without knowing much about dyes and still get beautiful results without a lot of chemicals, mess, or equipment. Bex taught me how to dye hand painted dye in the microwave with just some plastic wrap and a disposable cup and spoon, using these Country Classics dyes.




WARNING: Handpainting yarn is highly addictive!!! Don't say I didn't warn you!

I decided to try dying the roving before spinning it. It might be fun to see the effect. It IS different than dying the finished yarn. It's also fun to watch how the individual colored fibers are pulled into the twist.




As you can see, I'm almost done spinning up my roving. I'm planing to Navajo three-ply this strand in order to preserve the color variations for more of a stripy effect than a heathery effect.

I'll let y'all see my socks in progress again as I start the knitting. Remember I have that magic loop toe-up sock class coming up on May 5. I'll be using the socks for the demo in that class.

Eunny Knits

At the last meeting of the knitter's study group of the Columbia Spinners and Weavers Guild, someone mentioned Interweave Knits had just gotten a new editor, Eunny Jang. I finally got around to visiting her blog, and it is FABULOUS. She's so creative!

She has several articles on various techniques and patterns available: some for free, some for purchase. See Eunny Knit.

I latched on to the Print O' the Wave Stole immediately. I'm considering doing it in a Jagerspun, or possibly in some of that cashmere I spent so long winding. I'd have to take it to a Play-Day, of course, to dye it to a different color (right now it's sort of a salmony coral).

I read up about kool-aid dying. It sounds intriguing but when I mentioned it to Bex, she said it isn't very colorfast. I can see that. I still might give it a try. During my Kool-aid research I found a technique for mason jar dying. You just put small quantities of yarn in each jar with an acid dye and load all the jars in a stove top canning pot. She pointed out I couldn't dye much yarn that way, but I said it would be a great way to dye many colors for Bohus socks. She pointed out that I could take little bundles of yarn to one of Carol Leigh's dying workshops and drop one in each pot to get many different and vibrant colors. At that point I thought about the little sampling of naturally dyed yarn in amazing colors that Carol Leigh snipped for me to take home to my mom, who is very fond of natural dyes.

Yup. I think Bex is right. I never knew natural dyes could be so vivid. I'm absolutely in love with one of their polk dyes. So I suppose that's what I will do instead of the mason jar technique.

I finished up the edit on my magic loop sock pattern earlier this week and sent it to my editor (aka my mom ). I'm hoping to have copies printed and at the shoppe by Tuesday, barring any delays for finishing tax returns. I took input from early purchasers to make some parts clearer and/or easier, and I added a second heel option especially for auto-striping yarns. I'm rather pleased with it. I'll also be teaching a class on the technique on, Saturday, May 5th.

Back to Eunny. She's responsible for this digression because I read an entry on her blog about Kool-aid dyed socks. Check out this pattern for Anemoi Mittens. What do you think are the odds we could talk Bex into teaching a class on these mittens? I've really never seen anything like them. They almost look like needlepoint.

I'm excited about Eunny Jang taking the reins at Interweave Knits. I already enjoy the magazine and hope it will be even better with her additions. Do you remember the entrelac socks in the last issue (not the most recent, but the one before, with the wrap around sweater I'm knitting for Bex)? That's a Eunny Jang design. I think Bex was going to do a class on it too....

Do I smell like a wet goat?

I kept discovering small wafts of eau d'goat yesterday. It seemed to follow me around. Turns out it was actually coming from me!

I spent the morning and most of the afternoon simmering goat hair (aka mohair). I was trying to help Bex make some of her top-secret green mohair that makes the best flies ever for fishing. The family is planing a fishing trip for spring break and she wanted to take some of this special yarn along with them. Anyway, because Bex is pregnant, she needs to be careful about handling the chemicals frequently used in dyeing. So I volunteered to be her hands.

I don't know if I screwed it up or if it really was the form of Osage Orange we used, like she said. She's pretty darned nice about it when someone screws up. I was ringing up a customer's purchases and got to the point of telling her the total when I shifted on the stool and kicked the computer's plug out of the wall. Bex remained calm and got everything sorted out, despite me. So it might have been me and she was just trying to be nice. I hope I get a chance to try again, though. I really did want to see the color change. It's a three-step process where it goes from white to yellowish, and suddenly to green.

I'm sorry I missed you all at the play-day yesterday. I had a blast and had the dyeing room all to myself. I dyed some silk hankies for an unspun silk lace scarf and two 4oz pieces of superwash merino roving. I plan to spin the dyed roving into sock-weight yarn and knit some socks from them.

The silk scarf will be various shades of pink and magenta, with a navy accent. Because of the way the silk is drawn for knitting, there is no repeat in the color pattern. Each inch is unique. I'm looking forward to trying out this fascinating technique.

One of the rovings started out a bright gold and I spotted it all over with various shades of blue, creating an "ode to Rockbridge HS." The other roving started out bright blue, to which I added some red accents, creating a blue-violet medley. Originally I was planning to ply these yarns with a plain solid navy blue. Now I'm thinking about plying them to themselves. I briefly considered plying them to each other, but I think that will be too busy.

We had a GREAT turn out for the sock club and the spinners' club today. We had seven sock knitters, including Rosemarie, Jane, Doris, and me, and then Rose and Chrisma joined in to learn socks too. Rose is trying the magic-loop, toe-up technique and Chrisma is trying the cuff-down technique on toothpicks (er, that is on bamboo double points).

The sock group discussed doing some charity knitting, perhaps wool socks for our military personnel overseas or even some helmet liners. We thought this would be a good project partly in support of the soldiers, but also partly in support of our own Madonna, who's husband was called up for deployment. Please join us in keeping Madonna and her family in your prayers.

We had four wheels and one drop spindle going for the spinner's club. Spinners included Kristin, Leah, Marcia, Dyanna, and me.

Leah is planning a trip this summer to hunt down some cashmere goats. This will bring her collection of spinning fiber up to include: llamas, dogs, peacocks and goats. She agreed that she might make some of her fibers available for purchase to local spinners. I tried to talk her into angora bunnies, but she said she'd tried that and it made her cry to pluck them.

Did you know Kristin used to raise angora bunnies, like Matthew and Yves? She did so in 4-H, which is when she started spinning. I wish I could have some angora bunnies. Matthew said he had some available for purchase, but unfortunately, my sister is deathly allergic to rabbits and she'd never visit again if I got any. So I'll have to stick to growing my own chiengora for now. For those unfamiliar with exotic fibers, chiengora is dog hair. I own three German Shedders who are good producers of raw chiengora.

We all had a great time chatting and comparing projects and vowed to continue meeting.

The next time you smell wet goat, look around and ask yourself if there might be a fiber enthusiast nearby.

Socks, socks, socks and more socks!

It's time for me to come out of the closet and admit I am a sock-o-haulic. I made some socks several years ago (try a couple of decades ago) and was not overly impressed. I found them awkward and not very satisfying. So I turned back to knitting sweaters.

Fast forward to two years ago.

I was casually wandering the shoppe, thinking about possible projects to start, when I was stalked by the infamous Bex-ter. "Have you ever tried socks?" she asked innocently. "Yes," I said, "but I didn't really care for them." "Ah, but have you tried TOE-UP socks?" she inquired.

Hmmmmmm. Toe-up....You know how it is when someone speaks to you like an equal, like you know what the heck they are talking about, and you are too embarrassed to admit you haven't a clue what they are saying? Well, I had one of those moments, but carefully concealed my ignorance, or so I thought. In some sort of backhanded way Bex casually let drop in the conversation what was different between toe-up and cuff-down socks, and why she preferred toe-up. Hmmmmmm. It sounded interesting. "Do you have a pattern?" I asked....

I have some suggestions to make first socks easier for the neophyte sock artiste. First, don't try to save money buying cheap cotton yarn at the discount store (which, yes, I did do). I kept running out and buying more and my cheap socks got rather expensive. I also learned (the hard way) that cotton doesn't stretch and recover well, i.e. it is not elastic. Wool, on the other hand, is very elastic compared to cotton. It springs back wearing after wearing and wash after wash. Some permanent stretch over time is inevitable, but over all, wool is your best general sock yarn. It lets your tootsies wriggle, your arch lengthen and shorten, and the balls of your feet expand and contract as your footsquooshes against the sole of your shoe. Be sure to consider how you will want to care for your finished socks--you will probably prefer "super wash" wool which can be machine washed and dried without felting (shrinking into felt doll slippers).

At first glance wool sock yarn may seem either too costly or too much of a pain to launder. But really it doesn't have to be. After my first toe-up adventure, I decided to try some more knitting. I checked out the selection of knitting books at the public library and discovered Nancy Bush's Folk Socks: the History & Techniques ofHand knitted Footware . What a treasure this book is. I found a pattern for replica revolutionary war lace socks. The pattern called for "Wildfoote" superwash sock yarn. So I trotted off to Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe, to see if they had this magic elixir.

I walked in confidently, and demanded to know whether they had any "whitefoot" yarn. "We have some Wildfoote yarn," said Ms. Bex. I looked at it and sure enough it was the stuff called for in the pattern. The pattern called for "Vanilla" and the price sticker on the vanilla was $5.60. Not bad! It called for two balls to make these fancy lace socks. I put that on my "to do" list, and reminded myself I needed to finish my Lion's Brand "magic sock yarn" socks first.

I was quite impressed with this "magic" yarn. I casually showed it to Bex, thinking she too would be impressed. Magic stripe yarn knits up into striped socks, without the knitter having to change yarns along the way. They make easy socks look very fancy.

"Oh, yes," said Bex, "we have some OPAL magic yarn," and she pointed it out on the shelf. My jaw dropped when I looked at the shop samples. These weren't simple stripes of black alternating withburgundy like prisoners might wear in jail to identify them if they should try to make a run for it. There were blue stripes and green stripes and orange stripes, and some of the stripes were wide and solid, others were speckled, and some even had little geometric patterns on them. There were many stripes before the pattern started repeating, creating a beautifully complex design.S'okay, I went home with a ball of Opal in color #4.

With superwash sock yarn, you can have all the stretchiness and wicking ability of wool socks, but still be able to toss them in the laundry. It's the best of both worlds. Those opal socks were a big hit with both my mother and sister for Christmas that year.

There are SO MANY options available to the sock knitter today. After a few pairs of Opal, I tried some Trekking yarn. Also very lovely. Trekking now has a wool/bamboo blend for a completely natural fiber sock yarn with added strength from the bamboo fibers and elasticity, moisturewicking and warmth from the wool fibers. 100g/420m balls are enough for a generous pair of socks, or a pair and a spare of ladies' crew socks. The cost is $14 forsuperwash wool (with nylon) or $17.95 for the "natura" (wool/bamboo blend).

Just this week the shoppe got a shipment of Supersocke Cotton, just in time for spring knitting. This yarn is also a magic striping yarn, but instead of nearly all wool, it is 45% Baumvolle (cotton), 40% Schurwolle (wool), and 15% Polyamid. At just $13.00 per pair, this is a great deal for some comfy spring/summer walkin'.

You could choose Austermann with Aloe Vera and Jojoba Oil right in the yarn. It's not only pleasant on the hands as they knit, it stays in the sock for at least 40 washings to offer soft, soothing comfort for feet. The cost is $19.50 for a 100g/420m ball.

A new sock yarn came in recently, called "Tofutsies." No, it is not made of tofu, but it does contain some soysilk, made from soybeans just as tofu is. However, unlike tofu, Tofutsies are not bland or boring. These brightly colored yarns knit up with vibrant stripes of color. Check out Rosemarie's entrelac sock knit of Tofutsies yarn. Tofutsies yarn is comprised of 50% superwash wool, 25% soysilk, 22.5% cotton, and 2.5% chitin (from crustacean shells) for extra strength. Chitin is also naturally antibacterial! A 100g/425m ball ofTofutsies is $16.00 and is enough for a generous pair of socks.

Looking for a more economical sock yarn?

If you'd like a stretchier sock yarn, you might check out Regia's "Stretch Color" for $7.80 for 50g/200m, enough for a pair of short ladies' socks. A 50g/200m ball will knit up a pair of ladies' anklet socks, at a cost of $7.80.

Fortissima "Socka" yarn, in pretty solid colors of the rainbow, will knit up a pair of ladies' anklets for just $6.95.

For economical ladies' anklets, there's always the ever reliable Wildfoote yarn at $5.60 a 50g/215m ball.

All of the sock yarns mentioned are machine washable.

We just got the long awaited sequel to Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks called....More Sensational Knitted Socks. There are goodies for everyone in this book, including toe up and cuff down designs in many different colors and textures, a faux entrelac sock for the entrelac-phobic, and some interesting new cuff treatments for toe-up socks, including a picot edging. Be sure to check it out before this hot book flies off the shelves.

Don't forget our sock club meets on Sunday afternoons at 1 pm, right here at Ye Old Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe. From wanna-be sock knitter to virtuoso, all are welcome. Even if you just enjoy the company of other knitters, bring whatever you are working on and join us. Hope to see you there!