August 18, 2017
All-day field trip to Dirt Woman, Whitestone, VA 14 attending
We started our day, gathering at our meeting church to facilitate car-pooling, then proceeded to enjoy a companionable hour plus ride to Whitestone, arriving just after the shop doors were unlocked. Any plans to save shopping for the end of the day went right out the window, as like children in a candy store, we all entered the thrall of a knitter’s paradise. This shop is without doubt, filled with fiber-addict candy!
Chuck full of touchable, luscious fibers of every color palette and weight, we spent a good chunk of the morning soaking up everything, the yarns, the books, the patterns, the needles, the gadgets, the cute needle storage bags and the unique shawl pins, and more. ….and we shopped, and shopped, and shopped! Those who had, enroute, expressed plans to go easy on the budget, completely forgot that vow in the face of these heady, irresistible temptations.
Some time later, once our addictions were sated, and our wallets lightened, we finally adjourned to the classroom side of the building. In our still excited state, it took an effort to call the meeting to order, only for Andrée to crank it all up again by starting with our “Show ‘n Tell” portion of our meeting.
Show ‘n Tell
First, Andrée introduced our newest member, Kay, who is working on a long, narrow, triangular shawl called “Elysian” found on Ravelry. The superwash merino yarn, from the Murky Painter Palette are anything but murky…..lovely.
-Andrée dressed 3 new critters for our charity, and unrolled miles of striped scarf that she is currently working on, in an attempt to knit down her stash. Nice try! We all saw that big Dirt Woman bag you took out to the car!
-Gene showed us his latest pair of sox, perfectly matched, because he used a new yarn, that came with a yellow strand to mark the starting point for each sock! Ingenious!
- Barbara showed us a large scarf made with variegated rust-colored yarn, and shared some lessons learned from errors. We’ve all been there!
- Becky is working on a lace scarf in a rich crimson. She had completed enough so that we could clearly see the beautiful leaf pattern.
-Suzanne K. is close to completion on a crescent shaped scarf, called ”Panoply”, in two exquisitely paired colors: a rich raspberry and a port wine color, so dark it almost seems like black. A unique feature of this scarf is the brioche edge, which prompted a request for a class on brioche.
-Elaine K. continues to accrue stacks of baby blankets for charity. We’ll see some of them next meeting.
-Elaine B. has finished a mermaid lapghan which was too bulky to bring on a field trip, so that too will be shown at the next meeting. Currently she is working on Irish knit sweaters for Christmas gifts. One component was sufficiently finished for us to see the interwoven cable design.
-Jennifer is still working her way through the Learn-to-Knit afghan pattern book. She is on square 60 of 63. We can’t wait to see the finished product, though after finishing the squares, there’s still the time-consuming task of putting them all together. No pressure…but get busy Jennifer!!!!
-Suzanne T. is working on a beautiful two-colored scarf with a design that has one color dip down into the next. Aptly named the “dip stitch”, Suzanne has agreed to teach us at an upcoming meeting.
-Corky is currently knitting a teal, beaded scarf, called “Sojourn.” She showed us how she adds in the beads using dental floss, a type that has its own 'needle' end to facilitate picking up the beads.
-Marie recommends a yarn called, Chandi and was working on a scarf using a variegated olive and wine yarn.
-Martha shared with us a new charity, Knitted Knockers, making knitted prosthesis for women recovering from mastectomies. She recommends her favorite Occoquan yarn shop, Yarn Cloud, where she learned about this charity project. Contact them for more info.
New Business:
Leadership is soliciting program ideas for our 2018 calendar. Several ideas were tossed around and more are requested.
October 14th, 2017 will be Andrée’s annual October Fest Party. All are invited to her home, 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Please bring a dish to share. German cuisine would contribute greatly to the festivities, but is not a requirement. Map and directions to her Powhatan location will be provided at the Sept. meeting and via email. Carpooling is recommended as it’s quite a trek out into those hinderlands.
Don’t forget, our Sept. program will be Entrelac presented by Corky and a team of assistants. Watch for an email reminder with a link to the pattern, and a list of materials required: yarn, needles, etc.
PROGRAM: Becky McCoy, on how to make yarn
substitutions, and more
Dirt Woman Fiber Arts (804) 725-7525
577 rappahannock drive/p.o. box 162, white stone, va 22578
www.dirtwomanfiberarscom
Becky McCoy, owner of Dirt Woman Fiber Arts, first provided us with a yarn weight classifications and gauge chart, created by husband and store co-owner, Mark. She then proceeded to try to demystify the process of calculating substitutions using the chart. Those who are mathematically-minded quickly understood this process. Those of us more right-brained types, well,…. we’ll get it eventually. Have a calculator handy! Like with adjusting a pattern to our unique measurements, it’s all about ratios and formulae!!! Yuck!
The trick is in noticing the number of yards per pound the yarn required has versus the same info for the yarn one wants to substitute. In an easy swap, using the chart, we can see that an Aran worsted at 900 yards per pound is about half the amount for the same quantity of sport- fingering, at 1800 yards. So if the swap is to use fingering in place of Aran, one would need to roughly double the quantity of the fingering/sport yarn.
It can get more complicated than that for different combinations of substitutions, but you get the idea. For help planning your own substitutions contact Becky at the shop, (804) 725-7525, or find out who, in our group, is left-brained, received that chart at our program today, and can explain it.
Becky also mentioned that Shibui Knits have a chart on their website under “Resources” to do the same type substitutions for their yarn. Since their chart is specific to their yarn, it won’t be totally accurate for another yarn company, but it can give you a ballpark idea of quantities you might need in making a swap.
Becky then went on to talk about making adjustments in patterns when you have made fiber substitutions. The greatest complication comes when making decreases and increases. The same ratio/formulae used to determine yarn quantity will be needed to determine how many more, or fewer increases/decreases will be needed. It is particularly important that these calculations are accurate for making sleeve caps. She did say that the number of increases/decreases needed in the lower part of the sleeve will be equivalent to the same made on the sleeve cap, so you’ll only have to do the calculating once. Whew!
She also was quite adamant that you write down, every detail, of every adjustment you make so that when you make the back of a garment, after calculating for the front, or after making one sleeve and need to make the second, you have the accurate info available so that both items will be the same.
There is good news on this substitutions front. Becky said that some designers have finally realized that people may want to make the same pattern in different weight yarns and are now providing information to the knitter, saving many from disastrous headaches of calculating. Many of these are designers on Ravelry. Amy Herzog is one example. She provides an online tool where you input your dimensions and her embedded program will provide you with a customized pattern to print out. Now that’s a great innovations!!!
Becky also addressed the fact that the concept of “ply” is expanding. A thick roving mode fiber, though it is quite thick can be considered 1 ply, just as a strand of super thin fiber for cobweb lace can be 1 ply, but they are radically different quantities of fiber in that one strand. As new types of fibers are created new dimensions are added to existing measurement terms, so be aware!
A question was posed regarding substituting types of fibers, for example cotton for a pattern calling for wool. Becky stressed that we consider the characteristics of the fibers involved. Cotton and silk are quite stretchy and can make a project “grow” out of the intended dimensions, whereas wool, doesn’t stretch. It is a 'must' that the knitter consider the gauge of the original required fiber and do the math to choose the appropriate fiber that can be an equivalent. Note: Cotton fibers made in the 'chain' mode are significantly less stretchy. Alpaca is another fiber that can be stretchy.
A great tip about linen:
It is so stiff that it can be painful to knit unless it is prewashed. How to: unball the yarn and restore it to hank form; dip it into room temp water; wring out most of the water, then insert into a freezer baggy and leave in freezer overnight. Remove from the freezer and allow to dry. Then re-ball and knit. Additional repeats of this process will result in softening the fiber even more, but there's no need to go crazy, just get it to a point where it can be handled painlessly.
Becky also explained the difference between mercerized[pearlized] cotton and non-mercerized. The mercerized is coated, which makes it a bit shiny. The non-mercerized isn't. This difference could be significant if the ultimate wearer of the garment has sensitive skin or allergies to chemicals.
Speaking about chemical coatings brought up the topic of superwash wool. It seems the wool is also treated with chemicals, which enables it to be washed without resulting in pilling, felting, or being itchy. However, Becky noted, that after about 4 washings, that coating begins to wear off. Sigh! Good things never last! Though, for those with sensitivities to chemicals, this is another one to be aware of...as is anything made with viscose. Bummer! Viscose is made from mashed plant fibers heavily mixed with chemicals, then extruded into yarn shape. Sometimes a little knowledge can take the pleasure right out of useful things. :-(
Our final question asked about silk. It is perhaps helpful to know that 100% silk will never felt. It should always be handwashed. During handwashing it should never be twisted or wrung out, just squish it to wash and also to rinse. Never use heat on silk. If you must iron something made with silk, a pressing cloth should always be used between fiber and iron. Also be attentive to the heat setting on the iron.
If only the day had more hours, we could have be happy to stay longer soaking up the infinite supply of knowledge from our host. We all were extremely grateful to Becky not only for sharing her facility with us, but even more for sharing her vast expertise in such a clear and concise manner. We'll be back to Dirt Woman Fibers again for sure. :-)
All-day field trip to Dirt Woman, Whitestone, VA 14 attending
We started our day, gathering at our meeting church to facilitate car-pooling, then proceeded to enjoy a companionable hour plus ride to Whitestone, arriving just after the shop doors were unlocked. Any plans to save shopping for the end of the day went right out the window, as like children in a candy store, we all entered the thrall of a knitter’s paradise. This shop is without doubt, filled with fiber-addict candy!
Chuck full of touchable, luscious fibers of every color palette and weight, we spent a good chunk of the morning soaking up everything, the yarns, the books, the patterns, the needles, the gadgets, the cute needle storage bags and the unique shawl pins, and more. ….and we shopped, and shopped, and shopped! Those who had, enroute, expressed plans to go easy on the budget, completely forgot that vow in the face of these heady, irresistible temptations.
Some time later, once our addictions were sated, and our wallets lightened, we finally adjourned to the classroom side of the building. In our still excited state, it took an effort to call the meeting to order, only for Andrée to crank it all up again by starting with our “Show ‘n Tell” portion of our meeting.
Show ‘n Tell
First, Andrée introduced our newest member, Kay, who is working on a long, narrow, triangular shawl called “Elysian” found on Ravelry. The superwash merino yarn, from the Murky Painter Palette are anything but murky…..lovely.
-Andrée dressed 3 new critters for our charity, and unrolled miles of striped scarf that she is currently working on, in an attempt to knit down her stash. Nice try! We all saw that big Dirt Woman bag you took out to the car!
-Gene showed us his latest pair of sox, perfectly matched, because he used a new yarn, that came with a yellow strand to mark the starting point for each sock! Ingenious!
- Barbara showed us a large scarf made with variegated rust-colored yarn, and shared some lessons learned from errors. We’ve all been there!
- Becky is working on a lace scarf in a rich crimson. She had completed enough so that we could clearly see the beautiful leaf pattern.
-Suzanne K. is close to completion on a crescent shaped scarf, called ”Panoply”, in two exquisitely paired colors: a rich raspberry and a port wine color, so dark it almost seems like black. A unique feature of this scarf is the brioche edge, which prompted a request for a class on brioche.
-Elaine K. continues to accrue stacks of baby blankets for charity. We’ll see some of them next meeting.
-Elaine B. has finished a mermaid lapghan which was too bulky to bring on a field trip, so that too will be shown at the next meeting. Currently she is working on Irish knit sweaters for Christmas gifts. One component was sufficiently finished for us to see the interwoven cable design.
-Jennifer is still working her way through the Learn-to-Knit afghan pattern book. She is on square 60 of 63. We can’t wait to see the finished product, though after finishing the squares, there’s still the time-consuming task of putting them all together. No pressure…but get busy Jennifer!!!!
-Suzanne T. is working on a beautiful two-colored scarf with a design that has one color dip down into the next. Aptly named the “dip stitch”, Suzanne has agreed to teach us at an upcoming meeting.
-Corky is currently knitting a teal, beaded scarf, called “Sojourn.” She showed us how she adds in the beads using dental floss, a type that has its own 'needle' end to facilitate picking up the beads.
-Marie recommends a yarn called, Chandi and was working on a scarf using a variegated olive and wine yarn.
-Martha shared with us a new charity, Knitted Knockers, making knitted prosthesis for women recovering from mastectomies. She recommends her favorite Occoquan yarn shop, Yarn Cloud, where she learned about this charity project. Contact them for more info.
New Business:
Leadership is soliciting program ideas for our 2018 calendar. Several ideas were tossed around and more are requested.
October 14th, 2017 will be Andrée’s annual October Fest Party. All are invited to her home, 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Please bring a dish to share. German cuisine would contribute greatly to the festivities, but is not a requirement. Map and directions to her Powhatan location will be provided at the Sept. meeting and via email. Carpooling is recommended as it’s quite a trek out into those hinderlands.
Don’t forget, our Sept. program will be Entrelac presented by Corky and a team of assistants. Watch for an email reminder with a link to the pattern, and a list of materials required: yarn, needles, etc.
PROGRAM: Becky McCoy, on how to make yarn
substitutions, and more
Dirt Woman Fiber Arts (804) 725-7525
577 rappahannock drive/p.o. box 162, white stone, va 22578
www.dirtwomanfiberarscom
Becky McCoy, owner of Dirt Woman Fiber Arts, first provided us with a yarn weight classifications and gauge chart, created by husband and store co-owner, Mark. She then proceeded to try to demystify the process of calculating substitutions using the chart. Those who are mathematically-minded quickly understood this process. Those of us more right-brained types, well,…. we’ll get it eventually. Have a calculator handy! Like with adjusting a pattern to our unique measurements, it’s all about ratios and formulae!!! Yuck!
The trick is in noticing the number of yards per pound the yarn required has versus the same info for the yarn one wants to substitute. In an easy swap, using the chart, we can see that an Aran worsted at 900 yards per pound is about half the amount for the same quantity of sport- fingering, at 1800 yards. So if the swap is to use fingering in place of Aran, one would need to roughly double the quantity of the fingering/sport yarn.
It can get more complicated than that for different combinations of substitutions, but you get the idea. For help planning your own substitutions contact Becky at the shop, (804) 725-7525, or find out who, in our group, is left-brained, received that chart at our program today, and can explain it.
Becky also mentioned that Shibui Knits have a chart on their website under “Resources” to do the same type substitutions for their yarn. Since their chart is specific to their yarn, it won’t be totally accurate for another yarn company, but it can give you a ballpark idea of quantities you might need in making a swap.
Becky then went on to talk about making adjustments in patterns when you have made fiber substitutions. The greatest complication comes when making decreases and increases. The same ratio/formulae used to determine yarn quantity will be needed to determine how many more, or fewer increases/decreases will be needed. It is particularly important that these calculations are accurate for making sleeve caps. She did say that the number of increases/decreases needed in the lower part of the sleeve will be equivalent to the same made on the sleeve cap, so you’ll only have to do the calculating once. Whew!
She also was quite adamant that you write down, every detail, of every adjustment you make so that when you make the back of a garment, after calculating for the front, or after making one sleeve and need to make the second, you have the accurate info available so that both items will be the same.
There is good news on this substitutions front. Becky said that some designers have finally realized that people may want to make the same pattern in different weight yarns and are now providing information to the knitter, saving many from disastrous headaches of calculating. Many of these are designers on Ravelry. Amy Herzog is one example. She provides an online tool where you input your dimensions and her embedded program will provide you with a customized pattern to print out. Now that’s a great innovations!!!
Becky also addressed the fact that the concept of “ply” is expanding. A thick roving mode fiber, though it is quite thick can be considered 1 ply, just as a strand of super thin fiber for cobweb lace can be 1 ply, but they are radically different quantities of fiber in that one strand. As new types of fibers are created new dimensions are added to existing measurement terms, so be aware!
A question was posed regarding substituting types of fibers, for example cotton for a pattern calling for wool. Becky stressed that we consider the characteristics of the fibers involved. Cotton and silk are quite stretchy and can make a project “grow” out of the intended dimensions, whereas wool, doesn’t stretch. It is a 'must' that the knitter consider the gauge of the original required fiber and do the math to choose the appropriate fiber that can be an equivalent. Note: Cotton fibers made in the 'chain' mode are significantly less stretchy. Alpaca is another fiber that can be stretchy.
A great tip about linen:
It is so stiff that it can be painful to knit unless it is prewashed. How to: unball the yarn and restore it to hank form; dip it into room temp water; wring out most of the water, then insert into a freezer baggy and leave in freezer overnight. Remove from the freezer and allow to dry. Then re-ball and knit. Additional repeats of this process will result in softening the fiber even more, but there's no need to go crazy, just get it to a point where it can be handled painlessly.
Becky also explained the difference between mercerized[pearlized] cotton and non-mercerized. The mercerized is coated, which makes it a bit shiny. The non-mercerized isn't. This difference could be significant if the ultimate wearer of the garment has sensitive skin or allergies to chemicals.
Speaking about chemical coatings brought up the topic of superwash wool. It seems the wool is also treated with chemicals, which enables it to be washed without resulting in pilling, felting, or being itchy. However, Becky noted, that after about 4 washings, that coating begins to wear off. Sigh! Good things never last! Though, for those with sensitivities to chemicals, this is another one to be aware of...as is anything made with viscose. Bummer! Viscose is made from mashed plant fibers heavily mixed with chemicals, then extruded into yarn shape. Sometimes a little knowledge can take the pleasure right out of useful things. :-(
Our final question asked about silk. It is perhaps helpful to know that 100% silk will never felt. It should always be handwashed. During handwashing it should never be twisted or wrung out, just squish it to wash and also to rinse. Never use heat on silk. If you must iron something made with silk, a pressing cloth should always be used between fiber and iron. Also be attentive to the heat setting on the iron.
If only the day had more hours, we could have be happy to stay longer soaking up the infinite supply of knowledge from our host. We all were extremely grateful to Becky not only for sharing her facility with us, but even more for sharing her vast expertise in such a clear and concise manner. We'll be back to Dirt Woman Fibers again for sure. :-)