Gansey sleeves

Say Aaron, are you planning a classic 7/8 sleeve length for your gansey? I got my first sleeve finished early, though I need to rip the cuff back to the "fast decreases" round and adjust up my stitch count just a bit for a good fit. I did make a 7/8 sleeve, so the (short) ribbing lands about 1" above my wristbone. As with the wearers of old I think this will be a good length, as during sweater-wearing weather I tend to push my sleeves up to about there anyhow to keep them out of harm's way.

And as an extra little tidbid, it occured to me to report that I knitted the welt (Channel Island cast on followed by 1x1 standard ribbing) as well as the one cuff that I'm ripping tomorrow on my

12"x2mm "vintage" Phildar sticks. The rest of the sweater has been made on 2.5mm Addi circs.

One cuff and one sleeve to go. It ought to be a sweater by this time next week!

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Reply to
Wooly
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Will there be pictures???

Shelagh

Reply to
Shillelagh

On Tue, 1 Aug 2006 01:51:02 -0500, "Shillelagh" spewed forth :

When it's a whole sweater, sure! Right now it looks kind of silly with just one sleeve on!

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Reply to
Wooly

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 14:01:15 GMT, Wooly spun a fine yarn

(grin) We-ellllll................. You could say it's FOR a one-armed person/bandit, LOL! Noreen

Reply to
YarnWright

You are a way faster knitter than I am. Wow!!

I have not even thought about the sleeves yet. The last fisherman's sweater that I knit had 3/4 length sleeves so I could handle trolling weights under water without getting the cuffs wet. This gansey will be more for mooching, so the sleeves need to be long enough to cover my wrists even when I hold my arms straight up. I expect that earlier schoonermen and dorymen might well have had such longer sleeves, so I am not too worried about the authenticity.

I expect to reknit the cuffs as they wear.

Everything is being knit on (Extra Virgin) 2.3 mm (spring) steel DPN supported in a knitting sheath producing 7.3 spi from 960 ypp, 5 ply yarn. Smaller spring steel needles did not seem to produce a tighter fabric with this yarn. I think a firmer (handspun) yarn would give a tighter fabric and is the way to go. (I gotta lean to spin!)

The yarn is cream colored, but I will dye the whole thing navy-blue to improve its ability to dry while being worn.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 18:12:40 GMT, spewed forth :

I normally despise sweater sleeves that ride up to expose my wrists. I'm making these sleeves intentionally short at 7/8, however, to help keep them out of things. I don't mind washing my woolens, but red fades so easily...

Same here. I'll have ample leftover from my 4th 200g/580m hank of yarn. I'll just toss it in the stash and have more cuffs and patches for the life of the thing. One of my knitting cronies covets this shade of red, she may inherit the two full hanks and should be able to eke out a nice vest.

Handspun yarn always produces a superior sweater, IMO. A smooth tight worsted-spun is truly something amazing to work with, especially when the yarn is the product of one's own hands.

Hope you've got a big kettle! I bought a 10-gal stainless kettle during "turkey frying" season a few years ago. It's big enough that I can produce a single-dyelot adequate for a BIG sweater, and big enough that I have to fire it on a propane-fuelled "turkey burner" outside!

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Reply to
Wooly

That is what I learned at Lambtown. Made the whole trip worth while!

Turkey Burner? I thought you would put it out in the July sun and let sun bring it to a simmer.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 19:00:04 GMT, Wooly spewed forth :

Also should have said: I'm not doing any outdoor dyeing right now. We've had no rain worth mentioning in ... gosh, the last rain I remember was in early June. It's really dry out there and even if propane is "safe" I won't fire the kettle and then mind it for hours in this hot weather.

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Reply to
Wooly

On Tue, 01 Aug 2006 22:52:51 GMT, spewed forth :

Eh well, sun tea only takes about 10 mins right now, start to finish. I've done some Easter Egg pill dye jars in the sun, and some Koolade dyeing with the neighborhood kids. It hadn't occured to me to "cook" the big stainless pot on the driveway, though I'm sure the neighbors would think I had put out boiled babies or something. That's the sort of reputation I have with the adults, doncha know.

The boys on the block thought the Koolade dye thing was a nifty trick. This week we're making the old charcoal-ammonia-salt-blueing crystal gardens, though I'm having to babysit them quite a bit to be sure they don't dry out in the low humidity we're having. I've identified (with the help of all the myriad Interwebs) lots of bugs this summer, too.

We (the Collective We) just got back from the pool and I'm awaiting a free shower so I can get rid of the chlorine itch, then dinner and back to my sleeve...

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Reply to
Wooly

Really, I was thinking of trying 'solar' dyeing by putting the wool in a 50 gal black plastic trash bag with a couple of liters of dye, burping all the air out, leaving it in the sun, and rolling it to agitate every hour or so. I think on a good summer day I could get 150F for 4 hours. That means, it would have to sit in the sun for 2 or 3 really hot days. Any thoughts on whether it might work?

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 16:15:44 GMT, spewed forth :

It works for Koolade in a glass jar, and I've "cooked" suspect yarn in black plastic bags in the sun before.

My concern with using a trashbag as a dyeing container would be the integrity of the bag. I'd think a 5-gallon plastic pickle bucket with a lid would probably cook just as well and it'll be easier to handle, too.

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Reply to
Wooly

Things like this come down to just trying it!

Solar constant is 7 watts/m^2 = ~100 cal/ min=~ the temperature of 3 ounces of water goes up 1.8F =~ the temp of 1 liter goes up 11 degrees/hour, assuming an albedo of 0. The area of a drum liner is ~1.5 m^2 so I should be able to heat 1.5 L of water 44F in 4 hours, so I think dying in a big heavy black plastic bag is right on the edge of doability. If I start with

110F water, I will be right on the lower edge of the reaction going (ever so slowly). One question is how much dye can I dissolve in 1.5 l of working fluid, so I may try an excess of dye, and let the dye reaction run for 2 or 3 days before I open the bag. Actually for dark colors, a really heavy, clear plastic bag may be better???

I think a (white) plastic bucket has too high an albedo and too an small an area (1/4 m^2) to absorb enough heat from sunlight to drive the dye reaction. Then, I would need large amount of dye fluid to contact all of the fiber. I am just not going to absorb all the necessary heat with the small area of a plastic bucket

Next really hot day, I will try dyeing in a plastic bag, and let everyone know how it works.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:55:19 GMT, spewed forth :

You guys must have some wimpy sun out there in Mickey-land. I fried an egg on the sidewalk one day last week as a demonstration for the neighborhood kids when a couple of them were bragging they didn't need to wear shoes.

Aside from the fact that the egg stuck to the sidewalk, it was a perfect sunny-side up in less than 90 seconds. They figured out that if the egg is cooking their feet probably are too. Now everybody is wearing flipflops.

I start with "tap temperature" water for sun tea. Right now due to ground heating and shallow distribution pipes that means water that's between 75-80f. 20 minutes in a gallon glass jar on my front walk takes the temp up to 115 and the tea is quite stout. I left a jar out for two hours a couple of weeks ago and it was too hot to pick up when I remembered it and went to retrieve it.

I don't have an "official" pickle bucket, but I do have a couple of 3- or 4-gallon cat litter buckets with sealing lids. Tomorrow is supposed to be another hot one, I'll toss out an experimental dyepot:

2 gal of water with a capful of yellow (notoriously hard to get good yellow saturation) and some junk wool and let it cook all day. When I pop the lid I'll take the water temp with my digital thermometer and report on the results. +++++++++++++

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Reply to
Wooly

Wooly, Its 80F today, with a cool breeze off the Bay.

And, I got a wonderful package with this *huge* ball of Ivory Handspun. It is nicer than the Irish handspun that has been the prize yarn of my stash. Half an ounce and I could just play with it, and maybe waste it. But this big ball demands respect and responsibility. I will have to do something serious with it. Maybe, learn some lace stitches and make a shawl for my wife.

Thanks! I am again in your debt.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 00:33:01 GMT, spewed forth :

I wouldn't call it huge, but it is more than enough for a nice little scarf.

That's saying something, unless the Irish spinner couldn't be bothered and gave you her "one too many whiskies" ends-of-balls :P

I *do* have one sock I knitted, but the grist of that yarn is slightly different. If you want it let me know, I'll frog the sock (what good is a singleton sock?) scour and hang the yarn to dekink, and send it on it's way.

You're no such thing. I got three nylon needles out of the deal, I'll call it a fair swap after I send you the sock!

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Reply to
Wooly

On Wed, 02 Aug 2006 22:23:10 GMT, Wooly spewed forth :

I lied. All of my erstwhile litter buckets are busy. I can free one up on the weekend though. News as it happens.

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Reply to
Wooly

Firmer, but softer! Nicer!

The Irish stuff, I bought at yarn store in Wells, England. It was a two skein sample that they had, and were not going to carry. The YS owner sold it to me inexpensively, and I fear that Irish spinners were cheated once again. I started a pair of socks out it on the plane home, but my SIL assures me that it is NOT a sock yarn (unless one is a penitent on a walking pilgrimage to the distant Holy Land). I still love the color, and I KNOW whatever I make out of it will wear like iron : )

I am happy now, but if that sock with the other grist is lonesome, you can send it to me, and I will incorporate it in my beginner's lace project.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

Hi Aaron,

Sorry I'm behind on reading again and mostly lurking these days. We had plumbing breaks in the sections that weren't changed before and have been dealing with that. Digging up half the yard ourselves to save $$$ is not a lot of fun, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do!

I did want to express my concern about trash bags. I understand they are coated with some kind of pesticide. Sure, it will probably wash right out, but I wonder if the chemical might react with your dye and give less than desireable results.

You could take 2 boxes, one slightly bigger than the other, glue aluminum foil shiny side out to the inside one, stick it into the bigger one, and shove wadded up paper in between them for insulation. Or just paint the inside of the inner box with a non-toxic black paint to suck up heat from the sun. Put your yarn and dye solution into clear plastic oven bags, and viola, you've got a solar cooker. Just point it south, prop it on a brick or rock to angle it for best solar gain, and you're going to have a nice oven effect in short order. The only time you really need to check on it is when the sun has moved, every 1-2 hours or so, just go out and resight the box roughly to track the sun's movement across the sky. I understand using oven bags means you don't have to find a piece of glass to enclose the top of your oven. I've also seen plans where they put a dark colored pot into the oven bag for maximum heat gain, again to avoid trying to find glass large enough to cover the box.

Leah

Reply to
Leah

I buy 55 gallon drum liners that are used for all kinds of uses including lining drums for storing food grade products, so they do not have any pesticides in them. I used 50 gal in the calcs because I was rounding down for back of envelope calculations.

I do not use many pesticides around here. I even have my wife picking up spiders from inside the house and putting them outside. Thanks for your concern.

Aaron

Reply to
<agres

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