What a treat it has been--
indigo dyed coffee filters, oxidizing
my sister here for ten days--
a lovely time-out-of-time--
almost a retreat for us both--
each immersed in her own obsession.
a lovely time-out-of-time--
almost a retreat for us both--
each immersed in her own obsession.
Every day
Lyn went to a local coffee shop
to write about compost,
while I focused my research
on the pile of coffee filters
she had collected from said compost,
washed and brought with her.
Lyn went to a local coffee shop
to write about compost,
while I focused my research
on the pile of coffee filters
she had collected from said compost,
washed and brought with her.
What could be better than new material?
On my end, I found that
the commercial filters
are bigger in diameter
and ever so slightly thicker
than those I'd been using,
and that they required careful handling while cutting
lest the layers get off-kilter in my hand.
The extra diameter, of course
added yardage:
approx. 10 yards vs 7 yards
for every filter cut.
On my end, I found that
the commercial filters
are bigger in diameter
and ever so slightly thicker
than those I'd been using,
and that they required careful handling while cutting
lest the layers get off-kilter in my hand.
The extra diameter, of course
added yardage:
approx. 10 yards vs 7 yards
for every filter cut.
twisting coffee filters into yarn on an Ashford Charkha
They are also a different color:
evenly brown from center to edge
which leads to an evenly hued yarn,
in contrast to the heathery variegation
I get from Jodi's domestic filters
which shift from brown at the center
to creamy white at the edges
(unless they have been filtering pigments of course,
in which case they are every color of the rainbow).
That Jodi washes her filters indivudally
as they are used
and the commercial filters
are dumped in a bucket
to absorb the color from the
rest of that day's spent filters and grounds,
as they wait for Lyn to collect them for her compost,
probably accounts for this difference.
Needless to say,
my work will happily accommodate--
indeed is better for--
having both.
evenly brown from center to edge
which leads to an evenly hued yarn,
in contrast to the heathery variegation
I get from Jodi's domestic filters
which shift from brown at the center
to creamy white at the edges
(unless they have been filtering pigments of course,
in which case they are every color of the rainbow).
That Jodi washes her filters indivudally
as they are used
and the commercial filters
are dumped in a bucket
to absorb the color from the
rest of that day's spent filters and grounds,
as they wait for Lyn to collect them for her compost,
probably accounts for this difference.
Needless to say,
my work will happily accommodate--
indeed is better for--
having both.
2 ply coffee filter yarn; indigo
Anyway,
after a morning of immersion
in our respective explorations,
Lyn and I met for lunch:
needles clicking
as we chewed on ideas,
raw carrots,
my husband's fresh sourdough bread,
and other such delights.
after a morning of immersion
in our respective explorations,
Lyn and I met for lunch:
needles clicking
as we chewed on ideas,
raw carrots,
my husband's fresh sourdough bread,
and other such delights.
That Lyn was knitting
was particularly thrilling for me
as, though she had not picked up needles for years,
she decided to break her fast
with my Somewhat Slanted Sweater pattern--
which she later said
had a particularly easy point of entry.
was particularly thrilling for me
as, though she had not picked up needles for years,
she decided to break her fast
with my Somewhat Slanted Sweater pattern--
which she later said
had a particularly easy point of entry.
Well, those may not be exactly the words she used
but since the pattern starts with a single stitch
and forms a pointed triangle to begin,
I couldn't resist the pun.
but since the pattern starts with a single stitch
and forms a pointed triangle to begin,
I couldn't resist the pun.
 |  |  |
At any rate,
it was a huge treat
to walk into the Yarn Underground (my LYS)
and say,
"Pick some yarn,
any yarn, any weight
(lace to super bulky),
in a color you want to wear,
no gauge swatch necessary,"
and watch her go almost instantly
to a warm reddish pink
reminiscent of sweaters knit for her
by our mother and grandmother
when she was a little girl,
and watch her take off.
it was a huge treat
to walk into the Yarn Underground (my LYS)
and say,
"Pick some yarn,
any yarn, any weight
(lace to super bulky),
in a color you want to wear,
no gauge swatch necessary,"
and watch her go almost instantly
to a warm reddish pink
reminiscent of sweaters knit for her
by our mother and grandmother
when she was a little girl,
and watch her take off.
© Evelyn R Swett 2020
Indeed, her hands remembered
so well that by the second day she was
knitting and reading at the same time-
one of my favorite things to do
and the opportunity for which
I build into everything I design,
just in case.
And such was the pleasure of this
(and knitting lunches with me, of course),
that in the week she was here,
while still writing for hours every day,
she finished both front and back,
joined them with the shoulder straps,
and started the first sleeve,
which she knit all the way home.
What more could a designer/sister ask for?
so well that by the second day she was
knitting and reading at the same time-
one of my favorite things to do
and the opportunity for which
I build into everything I design,
just in case.
And such was the pleasure of this
(and knitting lunches with me, of course),
that in the week she was here,
while still writing for hours every day,
she finished both front and back,
joined them with the shoulder straps,
and started the first sleeve,
which she knit all the way home.
What more could a designer/sister ask for?
And now I'm all agog with ideas
so might have to use some of the yarn
from the coffee filters she delivered
to knit a paper Somewhat Slanted
for myself --just because.
Think it'll work?
so might have to use some of the yarn
from the coffee filters she delivered
to knit a paper Somewhat Slanted
for myself --just because.
Think it'll work?
