Kim's Poncho aka Martha Stewarts Coming Home

I started a poncho for my sister Kim made with Dudley's Tie Dye Roving. I am using the create with unspun roving method from Spin Off Magazine. My instructions for the method are also listed in this blog.

Kim liked the ponch that Martha Stewart was wearing going home from her jail stay. Lion Brand yarn has the directions click here for the pattern.
I made a few changes to the pattern, but it is the basis for the poncho. I used a crochet ribbing for the collar. I cast on 7 stitches and did a ribbing stitch where you always crochet only into the back loop of each single crochet. Do one sc in the back loop only of each sc. SC 7, chain one and turn. The collar is 24 inches in diameter, but because it is ribbing, it fits closer around your neck than the pattern appears to. After I made the collar and joined it with single crochet, I did a couple of rows of sc going only into the back loop of each sc. I just like the look of it.

I followed the directions in the pattern and did 3 dc in one stitch, skip one sc and make 3 dc in the next stitch. I had 41 blocks, so divided that in 1/2 and made the corner stitch of 3 dc chain one 3 dc in one space at 20 blocks, not fussing about the one block difference. The poncho collar lays nicely so far. I adjusted the gauge because the pattern calls for a larger hook, since my hook is smaller it has more stitches.

I chose a roving that I had about one pound of, in a colorway that my sister would like. I don't know how much it will actually take, but I will weigh it when it is finished.
THE ROVING:

DRAFTING THE ROVING:

THE PONCHO COLLAR:

Thinking about how I got started with fiber

Last December I was interviewed for an article in the local paper, The Hillsboro Star Journal.( Dec. 16, 2004 vol. 97, NO 12) Michelle, the reporter asked me questions that made me think. She asked how I got started with fiber. It took a few minutes of thought to realize how this all began.

My Aunt Ruth Ann asked my sister Natalie if she wanted to go to knitting classes with her. Natalie was the oldest and was probably 12 or so at the time. I was about 6, not the ideal age to be taking to a knitting class. Natalie went to the class and made the slippers and never knit again. I asked her for the book and needles and taught myself how to knit. I still have the big size 10 1/2 yellow plastic needles, and remember the pattern for the slippers. I have made many pairs through the years. In about the fifth grade some girls we wearing knitted headbands that they had made. I wanted one. I asked my Grandma, Ella Bosselman to buy me knitting needles when we were at the Woolworth's in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. She bought me some gold size 4 needles. I was ecstatic. A couple of girls and I would knit during recess. Sometimes we would forget how to start again after putting the knitting down. I would go to the office at the school and ask my Aunt Ruth Ann, who was the secretary there, how to proceed. The teachers thought we girls should be out playing in the playground, not knitting on the steps. Until we chased the boys, and then were told that knitting was fine.


That was not the beginning though. A week ago I was at a tea at my sisters house in Indiana. Natalie had invited our cousins and aunts for a fancy tea. It was lovely, petite fours, chocolate dipped strawberries and finger sandwiches. It was the day of Camilla and Price Charles' wedding and we wore hats and spoke with British accents from 2:30 until 3:00. Keeping our pinkies out and being such ladies. It was hilarious. My cousins are still likely to break into song (oldies) at the slightest provocation. While the rest were looking through a box of old photos and reminiscing about the good old days, I was sorting my knitting bag. It was a tangled mess. I had taken it to Colorado, and now to Indiana without ever sorting it out. I was untangling yarn for about 15 minutes when my Aunt Norma commented that Uncle Ferd was a great untangler.

When I was small, we had gone to Uncle Ferd's and Aunt Norma's to get eggs for many years. I remember the basement where the eggs were kept. It had a distinctive odor, not unpleasant, but very unique.
After getting the eggs we would go to the kitchen and visit. I remember that Uncle Ferd was the type that threw nothing away. I remember him keeping the string that the large flour and feed sacks were sewn with. He would put them into a bowl, and later untangle it and wind it into a ball. That was actually the beginning.

Uncle Ferd taught me how to untangle string. You never pull it tight, but pull it apart and follow one strand, until it comes loose, then start winding it up. Untangling yarn is something I do every day, and it was Uncle Ferd who showed me how.

Teressa B. Yarns, Show and Tell

Teressa B in California sent this photo. I always got a kick out of Teressa and her husband Ty. They would shop for roving together. It made me wish my husband took an interest in my roving. Maybe he would if he didn't feel like it was taking over the house!
These yarns are made from Turon and Falcon Dudley's Tie Dye Rovings I only found a photo of Turon, I must have deleted the Falcon roving photo, but it was the greens.


Dudley's Tie Dye Roving *Turon*

Suzanne's Felted Pots, Show and Tell

Suzanne's Felted Pots

Suzanne sent this photo and information on how to make them. I am impressed, very nice Suzanne!
She wrote: There were more, but a friend of mine
took them to a fair and sold them! These were favorites that I intend to keep.

I spin the roving very lightly, then knit the pots from the bottom up. Then
I wet felt them by hand. On the green ones, I very lightly needlefelted some
embellishment around them before wet felting them, just enough to tack down
the wool.

People kept asking me what they are for, what can you put in them? I don't
think you have to have them be functional, they are just aesthetically
pleasing to me empty. But one day, I figured I'd put something non-functional in one
of the pots, so I made some strips (just knitted a rectangle, felted it and
cut it into strips) and I-cord and felted them and stuck them into one of the
pots! This sits on my fireplace mantle usually.

I love that yarn the woman in Alaska made and look forward to seeing more
people's projects from your lovely roving.

Thanks for your interest in what I'm doing!
Best regards,
Suzanne

Indiana

Miter Scarf Pattern

Miter Scarf

The sample in the photo is 3 ¾” across. If you want to adjust the width, figure your gauge and determine the desired width, double the number of stitches to know how many to cast on.

Cast on 42 stitches, on size 4 needles, this is double the width of the finished square.

Row 1: Knit 20, make a double decrease by slipping the next two stitches, knit one, pass the two slipped stitches over the knit stitch, knit 20.

Row 2: Knit across

Row 3: (and every odd row) Knit 19, 18, 17, 16 etc. Make double decrease, knit across.

Continue until you have only one stitch left, then pick up stitches across the top of the square, making sure you pick up the same number of stitches (21).
Cast on 21 stitches using the half hitch cast on. Start knitting with row 1 again.

This is a simple design but the yarn changes color and makes mitered stripes, without changing yarn, and you don’t have all those annoying ends to weave in later.

Show and Tell

Welcome to my Blog. I plan to use this to show off the talents of my fantastically talented customers. If you have photos of something you made from Dudley's Tie Dye Rovings, send along a photo and information on where to purchase your items, if they are for sale. If the items were made for friends and family, include some information about your creative process and the recipient. I am gathering the photos and showing them off here. I am amazed at what has been done with Dudley's.

I have been shipping Dudley's all across the country for about two years now. I am a member of two spinning guilds, Handweavers Guild of Boulder and Kansas Alliance of Weavers and Spinners. The Handweavers guild of Boulder annual sale and show in Longmont, Colorado December 2004 was quite a treat. The rovings were well recieved. The link is photos of the show. The second photo is baskets of Dudley's. My friend Beth W. of Elizabeth's in Lindsborg, KS has some of her fine weaving in the photos as well, the long blue capes are her work.

This spring I took Dudley's on the road to the (KAWS) Kansas Alliance of Weavers and Spinners conference in Kansas City, Kansas. Dudley's sold very well. I used clear celophane flower bags for the packaging. An armload of Dudley's was the best advertisment! They were quite striking. I recieved comments from some ladies that they looked like armloads of flowers! I am quite proud of the success I have enjoyed. I feel very lucky to have found something that I am really good at, creating Dudley's! I love dying them and they makes everyone who sees them smile. Life is Good!

One of my customers, Barbara C. In Alaska sent these photos. Her yarns are available at:
Ptarmigan Arts in Homer, Alaska
and House with a History, in Wrangell, Alaska
Beautiful Barbara!