First, I fold the t-shirt in half and cut off the hem. I don’t use the hem, because it is thicker than the rest of the t-shirt material, and makes a bulkier “stripe” if used with the other strips of material. In previous rugs, I have cut the material into 1.2 to 2 inch strips. Now, though, I am using strips about 3/4 of an inch wide.

 The smaller stripes are just more appealing to me. I just cut clear across the bottom of the t-shirt, which gives me a loop, or circle, of material. I do this with all the t-shirts I plan to use for a rug. I cut strips like this all the way up to the arm pits,.Then I remove the hems from the sleeves, or start at the elbows on long sleeve t-shirts, and cut smaller loops. Once I get to the arm pits again, I stop. I don’t want to have to sew material together, so that is all of the shirt that I use at this point. It seems wasteful, but this is the most time efficient way for me to get the most done, for right now anyway. 

 After I have all my t-shirts done, I throw all the loops in a basket, and toss them together like a big salad. If you wanted a specific pattern, you could leave all the colors in individual piles and just pick them up in order of your pattern, but I like the mish-mashed look I get when I just pick up pieces at random. I pick up the first two, and loop them together like this:

 I keep that up, picking up the pieces at random, until the ball of “Tarn” as t-shirt yarn is called, is about the size of a softball. I make balls of the strips until they are all gone. My only rule is that if I pick up a loop that is the same color as the one I just used, I have to pick another one. I don’t want two of the same color next to each other. This isn’t an original idea, lots of places sale sock loopers, which are material from the sock manufacturing process, for rugs.  I’d rather not have to buy material though, and I like having control over how thick my loopers, and therefore, my rugs, are. 

I’ve found that having a good mix of darks and lights, as well as having some black in the mix, makes for an attractive rag rug.  It kind of reminds me of those scrappy quilts that I love so much.  Lots of different colors, and not too planned out.  Not to mention, inexpensive!  The best thing, though in my opinion , is that once I have woven a holey t-shirt into a rug, it’s fairly certain said t- shirt won’t accidentally by pass my inspection process and end up out in public where it will make people question my parenting choices!!

The weaving is going well.  I am getting the hang of keeping my edges straight.  After considering many options for cutting fabric into strips, I bought a rotary cutter, a mat and a ruler.  The mat and ruler are small, but I didn’t want to make a huge investment if I didn’t know for sure that it was going to work.  It does make a huge difference after using scissors for so long.   Simplicity makes a little machine that cuts strips, and I seriously considered asking for that for my birthday, but the reviews seemed to be 9 to 1 in the negative, so I just couldn’t risk the money. There is a little rotary cutter with the brand name of Gemsy that I am considering for about the same money, but it is a serious tool, and I wanted to try the rotary cutter first.  I’ve only used it for a day or two, but it does seem to make things a lot neater and straighter.  Also faster if I am cutting regular fabric and not these old dishcloths.

I do have pictures of the finished baby sweater to show.  I actually knit two sweaters for Caleb and Heather’s baby, who will be named Adelyn.  But the other one didn’t turn out beautiful, and I needed to make them a beautfiul sweater.

And here is the back of the yoke:

And the detail on the hem:

All these pictures were taken on a rug I wove for Jody for our birthday.  I sure hope she likes it! I sent her Christmas present too, so she has a big box of things to open. It sure tickles me to be able to send her something, for once, cause she sure is good to me! God couldn’t have given me a better twin sister.

This is of my own design, but I don’t think I will be publishing a pattern, although I may put the chart(s) up here if any one shows any interest after I put up pictures.  I knit a circular yoke, using short rows, and a delightful little cable.  Then I picked up stitches along the edges for the main body, and eventually I’ll do the arms the same way.  Haven’t decided on edge treatments yet, I have got a few ideas in mind, but until I try them out, I don’t think I’ll know for sure what I am going to do.  I’ve still got a ways to go, but I hope to have it done at least by the end of next week.   That baby will be here before you know it, and I’m running out of time!!

The Ephemeral Wrap, the latest Janice Garrett Design, was published December 5.  It really took a while to get this one just right.  I knit the prototype, and then after playing with it a little, I tweaked it. That meant I had to completely reknit it, but I am so glad I did!  Using detachable buttons and strategically placed button holes made it so much more versatile, and it really opens up the possibilities for using this wrap.

Completely reversible, this is not just a shawl. You can configure this wrap several different ways, and you can get so many more uses out of it.  This makes using a luxury yarn more of a bargain. Instead of investing $100 worth of yarn in just a shawl, just a cowl, just a hood or shrug, you can invest $100 in yarn and have all these things and more!!

Wear it as a shrug-

A cowl, either snugged close to your neck or loose enough to even wear around your upper torso-

Wear it as a warm and snuggly hood, with the ends wrapped as a scarf around your neck, or tucked under your jacket…

Wear it as a caplet to dress up an outfit, or just to snuggle into..

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Instructions for how to form each of these configurations are included in the 9 page pattern.  I’m really happy with how it turned out! I hope you find it interesting!

Getting the loom from the porch into the living room was another story altogether! You’d think with all the weavers on the internet, someone would have a step by step illustrated blog post about how to do that, but if they do, I couldn’t find it.  I emailed my friend Coleen a few times, and had a general idea of how we might make it work.  My plan was to take off the three boards that brace the back of the loom,  take off the sectional beam, (with the warp on it!) flip it up over the top of the loom and then ease it around the door jamb like you might a sofa.  It was a great plan.  However, we couldn’t get the screws on the bottom board that braces the back to budge at all.  I mean, they weren’t moving anywhere! 

So we turned our attentions to the front of the loom.  We took off the breast board, loosened the treadles and tried that, but it didn’t give us enough wiggle room.  We were going to have to take off the take up roll.  The first time we tried, I didn’t think that was going to happen either, but we loosened the bolts that held the cross beams, and the next time we tried, we could spread the two sides apart far enough to get the take up roll off.  It still took some maneuvering, but we did it.  The we slid the loom around the jam like we had planned, no problem!  Once it was in the house, it all went together lickety split.  Then I just had to readjust some things, like the connections to the treadles and unsnag some of the warp, and it was good to go. 

That doesn’t mean I know how to use it, however.  Learning to weave is going to take some time that I don’t have right now. Maybe next week I will have time to play with it a little bit.

Isn’t it pretty? This is a Leesburg 102 loom. I love it.  My Uncle Pete made the bench, and I love it too! That rug on there, I didn’t start, it is a rug my cousin Charlie started.  I am probably just going to pick up there, and see how I do.  I need to get a feel for it before I start a project.

So this weekend is the Arkansas Fiber Extravaganza! I will be there with Sue from Heaven Sent Food and Fiber, so if you’re there, come say hi!

but all that matters is that we will be together, and we are going to have a wonderful time.

Then, a few nights ago, my friend Coleen called.  There was an opportunity for us to go as vendors for the Arkansas Fiber Arts Extravaganza. Did I want to go?  Well, to tell you the truth, I had to think about it for a while, and discuss it with Sean.  It is the first Friday and Saturday  after our trip to WV, with the previous two weekends spent on the road traveling.  It is after the first week of  Christmas activities with the homeschool co-op, the church Christmas dinner is that Sunday, so I can’t miss that.  That Monday is a field trip.  Did I really want to go?  In the end I decided it would be a good way to get my name out there. Maybe I’ll sale some patterns, I’ll pass out some business cards, and I can always sleep later, after the field trip!

I am just now getting ready to release my newest pattern, it is still in the test knitting phase, although I think that I only have one knitter left who hasn’t finished or said she is close to finishing.  I’ll have to do that after we get back from WV, because I refuse to think about it while I am at Mom’s. I plan on taking knitting projects with me that I don’t have to think about!

Another picture, though!

This is the wrap in it’s hood configuration! So, so cute under a jacket!

I have just finished my newest design, the Ephemeral Wrap. I have been working on this design for over a month now. I finished the first prototype, and It was just a little bit off. Now that I have done some tweaking, and reknit it (whew, that’s a lot of knitting!) I think it is just right!

Right now the pattern is being test knit. Test knitting is interesting. I always dread it, but it is always worth it. My test knitters for the Ephemeral Wrap are phenomenal!

So, a picture?

As you can see, the Ephemeral wrap does more than just lie across your shoulders or around your neck like a scarf. Detachable buttons make it possible to wear it buttoned up like a hood, with the ends tucked securely in your coat for warmth, or as a capelet worn with the opening at the front or over one shoulder. Wear it as a cowl on a cold winters day, or as a shrug over a long sleeved t-shirt. with the Ephemeral Wrap , you get a lot of pay back for your knitting investment! It has been fun to work on it, but I’m glad it is almost ready for release.

Since I finished the wrap, my knitting has been mostly back to mittens and hats for the kids. I am working on Reagan’s mittens and can’t wait to show them to you. I decided instead of getting fancy with the stitches, I would knit the mittens plain and then embroider them. I don’t have much experience with embroidery, but I checked a couple of books out of the library, and I am making progress. I really like the way they are turning out. Still a work in progress, though, so I will wait until I am done to show you the finished objects.

My newest design,  the Honeysuckle Vine hat, went live on Ravelry today! I am really excited about this design, because the yarn I used was produced here locally by Heaven Sent Food and Fiber.  It is a sportweight yarn, comprised of 70% Merino and 30% Bamboo.  It has an unbelievably soft hand, it just flows through your hands like silk. I have knit with a lot of yarn, and I have to say, I thnk it is my absolute favorite yarn of all time. 

My model, though is starting to have illusions of grandeur.  She used to work for free, but this morning as I was taking the final pictures to put in the pattern, suggested maybe she should get paid.   I think maybe she has a point, she sure does make the knits look good. 

Naming a design is always the hardest part of the process for me, and that was the case with this pattern as well.   I love the way the ribbing twists and turns up the brim of the hat, but Ivy was already taken as a pattern name.  By a lot.  There were a lot of results when typing Ivy into the ravelry search engine.

So I started thinking, about plants that are like Ivy, and it wasn’t long until I had hit on Honeysuckle Vine as a name.  I hope projects from this pattern are just as prolific as honeysuckle is here in Oklahoma and back home in West Virginia.  It was always one of my favorite flowers, and I love the way it smells.  I think it’s a good name.

Honeysuckle Vine:

designed by Jan Garrett

Heaven Sent Fibers Natural Taupe Yarn

70% merino/30% bamboo

Sportweight-200 yards/skein-1 skein

Size US 3 circular needles, or needles for your preferred method of knitting in the round.

Gauge: 24 stitches and 30 rows to 4 inches in St. Stitch

with optional button band, which can be permanent or convertible!

I have been working on stuff for the “My Kids will be Prepared for Winter 2012” box.  I knit Chad a hat using this pattern.  Do NOT tell him it has a girl for a model.  He’ll think it’s a girls hat, and it’s not! Well, especially since I made it a little more fitted and less loose.  I used less repeats. It looks fabulous on him.  I used Berroco VIntage in the Pumpkin color way, and he is very pleased with it. I briefly thought that a fight was going to break out, cause Sean really like it too. Being  Oklahoma State fans, anything orange is fair game I guess.  But Chad liked it, so he gets it. That boy loves orange, has since he was little.  I’ll try to get a picture up soon.  I am also working on a hat for Ryan, but this one is of my own design. It uses the Berroco Vintage as well, but in the color way Tide Pool.  I think it is going to be my very first pattern offered for free , so keep an eye out..

Another post later, after I have made the boys submit to being models for a photo shoot….they are going to be so thrilled!