Sunday, May 14, 2006

Cold front

It is the second Sunday in May, the weather should be warm and lovely since it is Mothers' Day, but we have had mostly rain and strong winds and then some snow (!) and again rain and some snow and more wind...

Tina hates rain. It frustrates her and I have acted as a door man all day long letting her out or in. You might wonder why don't I just tell her to make up her mind. I have. And she has made up her mind but has kept changing it. My husband says it is because the dog is a she... I have tried to ignore her but she has a loud voice and she won't hesitate to use it. Because she is a she. She is extremely cute. And she knows it and gets away with mostly everything... because she...

I wonder if I called for this cold front since I cast on for a pair of mittens on Friday night. I don't want to count just how many things I have started during the past week. I'd rather not tell about everything but then I would not have anything to write about. Next week I will concentrate on the ones on the needles already.

The post of the wrist warmers made me want to try twined knitting again. I had to try this fair-isle technique on twined knitting and it really makes sense there. This is how twined knitting looks on the right side.

Here the back side.You have two yarns in your right hand and one ball, the other end comes from the inside and the other from the outside of the same ball. You alternate the yarns all the time and the new yarn goes always over the one that was just used and eventually you have to unwind them. When you are using s-spun yarn you keep adding twist to the yarns and the outcome is not as nice as with z-spun yarn. With small projects I have been told it is tolerable but if you are making a sweater you should try to find z-spun yarn.

This knitting takes some time but the fabric is very durable and not as stretchy as in usual knitting (good for embroidery) and it is thicker too. I think that twined mittens are the best kind of knit mittens. They knit up quite quickly and seem to keep their shape during the long winter. For normal everyday socks this knitting would be too heavy I think, but where extra warmth is in need they are valuable.

To knit a sweater or a cardigan with this technique takes lots of madness. You should prepare yourself for months of unwinding yarn. I have knit one sweater and I think I had my sweater on the sofa for eight months. You knit with circulars and use scissors if you want to have a cardigan. I would love to have a cardigan, line it with a wind stopper and use it as an outerwear. I don't know if I dare to confess but... I have a plan and I am counting stitches and rows...

Tina is at the door. I must go.

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous22:53

    I am very intesrested into more 2 ends knitting!

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  2. I must confess that I do not know what z and s spun yarn is. Could you explain or is it so basic I should do a web search? My knitting has never yet gone beyond "advanced" basic.

    No snow here. We have 79F inside and 90F in the greenhouse. I must go open some windows before my tomato plants complain. It is nearly time for them to come outside and blink in the sunshine. We hiked 4 miles of lovely open California oak forest this morning. It was too hot but many redwinged blackbirds were on the reeds around the small ponds we passed. My husband and dog are asleep on the couch. Being the woman I will do the dishes instead of napping!

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  3. Anonymous03:01

    hello Lene, funny you should write about twined knitting... I am just now learning the technique and finding it fun and a lovely knit! I'm working on mittens.
    I hope your weather stabilizes into warmth, soon!
    Happy Mother's Day to you!! >^..^<

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  4. Anonymous03:30

    It sounds as if you are starting on a great twined cardigan adventure. You'll have to show us pictures as you go along. Today it was cool and windy here in Mississauga and it looked like rain. But luckily no drops fell. My dog also likes to go in and out so sometimes I just leave the door open for awhile, hoping that no unwanted creatures will find their way in! Today I am wearing one homemade sock and one bare foot, as the other sock is still on the needles.

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  5. Your photo illustrates the durable fabric of twined knitting beautifully. Ah, now there is something else I will have to learn more about! I have only read about s- and z- spun yarns. I'm also not yet sure how to see or feel a difference.

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  6. I'm quite sure that our dog, Gypsy, regards us as her very own, personal doormen. Somedays I feel like I should just stand by the door. To add to it, my daughters cats have decided that they also need our services. If it weren't for bugs, I would just leave the door open!

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  7. I think our dogs go in and out because they think the weather has changed in the 5 minutes they have been inside. Let them out, they come back in. "Well, maybe it's nicer out now, so let me out! Nope, still bad weather, let me in!" AND, they will go to a DIFFERENT DOOR just in case the weather is better outside THAT door.

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  8. Well, Finland and Wisconsin have a lot in common, weather-wise. Our Mother's day was rainy and cold, but not windy as the previous Friday had been. Snow fell just north of us. Brrrrr. I had already washed and packed away the winter clothing...bad idea.
    The twined knitting holds great appeal for me. I appreciate the recommendation for the mittens. I just got some new yarn--some felted Waterspun and some brilliant homespun in worsted weight. Have you ever changed colors while doing twined knitting?

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  9. Hi Lene,

    Twined knitting is intriguing. Does the yarn need to be two-ply or singles? I spin clockwise, producing a Z twist single. If the single Z was spun with a tight twist followed by plying two with a tight S would that offset the untwisting that occured with the knitting?

    Hope you're blessed with balmly, calm weather today and a contented Tina.

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  10. sounds intriguing. are there any video demos on line?

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  11. I love your description of 2 end knitting, I've been wanting to learn more of this technique.

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