I’d like to take a moment to point something out. Even if you don’t give a rat’s arse about the Thrum-a-long….See that!!! It’s a link! A link to a page that I made. All by myself.
That’s right. ME. Now look down the side of the blog…see that? Links to thrum-a-longers! Names! Centred! Who do you think did that? Right again. ME!
I have an odd urge to scream things like “Who’s your Daddy!” at the screen. I’m sure it will pass.
(I’d like to take a moment to apologize most sincerely for the profusion of exclamation points. I’m very excited. Really. I understand that they are annoying to read, and I’m disappointed in myself for using them. I do believe however, that successfully handcoding html and navigating the mystic realm of moveable type for the first time, by yourself with only a book and your wits to guide you, is the moment that exclamation points were invented for.)
The blog and I would like to thank Donna and Julia for the tips and links that made this incredibly satisfying moment possible. I’d also like to acknowledge Ken, who enhanced the learning curve by turning his cell phone off on Sunday. (While I was briefly pissed at him for being unreachable while I was in my own personal hades of Movabletype/html…it is the fact that I was unable to guilt/harrass him into doing this for me that has lead to this most fulfilling of blog moments.)
I was so happy when it finally worked that I laughed out loud and made the cat look at it.
If I missed you on the list of Blog-a-longers just let me know. I can fix that.
(Really, I can. I’m the html queen of the world.)
While ranting around the house alternately screaming and typing things into the computer this weekend, I actually knit.
That’s right. I coded html and I finished the Latvian mittens. (I reiterate…Queen of the world).
I finished the Fleece Artist mittens, and there was so much left over that I knit a hat to go with….
Meg is happily modelling them for us, and (in case you can’t read it) is wearing a tee-shirt that says “I dress this way because it bothers you”. (I am ignoring the fact that a kid who is wearing that shirt may have too much sass for her mother to be the Queen of the World. Did I mention that I coded html?)
I started new mittens, these ones are Swedish, part of a stunning gift from Susanna
but I’m starting to feel like it’s an unhealthy obsession, so let’s just glide right over that.
Thrum-a-long Madness – day one.
After a stunningly successful dye episode in the kitchen, (Queen of the world, I tell you) I deftly defended my fleece from the fibre-stealing squirrel in the backyard, carded and combed and I have this to be the thrums for my mittens.
Yes, I know. How many mittens are you making Steph? I got a little carried away.
Day one:
Assemble materials.
One skein Briggs and little “Heritage” wool (worsted weight)
60 grams carded fleece or roving.
dpns in 3.25 and 4 mm.
One bottle Screech, official drink of the 2004 Thrum-a-long. (Just in case)
Cast on 40 stitches, distribute on the dpns in a manner which pleases you, and join in a round. Work in K2, P2 ribbing for 6cm.
Switch to the 4mm needles and knit 3 rows, increasing 5 stitches evenly around the first round. (45 stitches)
Thrum Round: *K2, thrum 1, repeat from * around. (If you don’t know how to thrum, go here)
Next round: *K2, knit into the back of the next stitch and its thrum, repeat from * around.
Knit 3 rounds.
Your work looks like this:
Repeat these last five rows twice, then then first two rounds once. Then wait until tomorrow and I’ll do the thumb. (I’m not holding out on you. I haven’t exactly figured it out yet)
If anything seems frustrating, administer tea or coffee and re-attempt. If it still doesn’t work, use a shot of Screech and re-attempt one more time. If it still eludes you, email me and continue to drink screech until I email you back or you no longer care about mittens. (Caution: with screech that really doesn’t take long)
Yarn Harlot
ooo…screech is bad bad stuff. Especially when it involves kissing a cod and saying something in “Newf”. *shudder*
The mittens look great. It’s killing me not to join in and thrum with you, but I am trying to actually finish a few things before I start anything new. Sigh.
What yarn are you using for those beautiful Swedish mitts you’ve started?
Well, thank god. I was looking for a reason to begin drinking before 11 am on a Monday morning, I mean besides it’s Monday morning. So…
*raises shot glass*
All Hail Queen of the World!
*knocks back shot*
I refuse to thrum, but will admire everyone else’s industrialness though, as I’m mired in college studies right now. And I’m now beginning the altered Very Harlot Poncho, in an emerald green Plymouth Encore, the Very Harlot Cape =) It’s part of a week long celebration for finishing and shipping the evil Doctor Who scarf off to my Canuck friend in Alberta.
The drinking is just a bonus.
But really, Steph… you needed another reason to show us why you rock?
Congratulations on doing the computer thing – way too few exclamation points! And the tee shirt – just ignore it. It takes away no points from your Queen status. Your mittens are stunning too!
Those Latvian mittens are absolutely stunning! I’m watching your mittens grow with extreme jealousy, because even though I went through many a pair as a child, anywhere outside of the mountains in California isn’t exactly mitten country. Very depressing. Pass the Screech.
PS – Please remember, only the queen of the world could have a daughter that wears a shirt like that and at the same time rock the fleece artist mittens and hat.
How cool is that?! Today was an HTML day all over the world. I finally figured out how to put your Thrum Along button on my sidebar and got up and danced a jig in the office (and then tried to convince everyone it was work-related). I’ve got my Fleece Artist kit right here and bacardi limon with cranberry juice. But I think I’ll sit in the corner for a day or so and just watch (and drink) and re-read the thrum directions another hundred times.
Now, on the offhand chance that one might be a thrum-supporter, but not an along-er, might one be able to purchase the official drink so that one might drink-along in solidarity? (okay, mostly it would be a gift for DH who considers himself a connoisseur of bad alcohol)
Stephanie, you are my personal goddess! I mean, look at those Latvian mitts, followed by the Swedish mitts, AND she does HTML too! I bow to you …
And just ignore the kid (although she does smile and model nicely). You ARE Queen of the World!
I can’t wait to get home from work so that I can thrum-a-long too!
You deserve to be carried around on shoulders of those that are in awe of you (yes, me for one). Too bad we all live so far apart… Anyway, I kept checking your blog and for a while there I must admit I wondered if this thrum-a-long thing was going to happen. I finally got the Folk Mittens book from the library and I am considering using Fana Mittens pattern from page 49. How complicated can it be, right? Or I can do those and yours. Sucker for punishment, I KNOW. Now, you never mentioned the “liquid” support system aka booze requirement. And not a drop left in my Southern Comfort bottle!! There is no justice. (Note to self: send hubby to liquor store before closing!)
The Swedish mittens are stunning. Truly beautiful. Good job on the html. I’m still a novice myself, but when I do manage to successfully alter my blog, it is nothing short of thrilling. As for the knitalong….. I am SO STOKED that I have my supplies, and I didn’t even have to go shopping! I found some unexpected jewels in my stash which I’m blogging about tomorrow.
O.K., O.K., I caved on the poncho.
But still holding out on the mittens even though I saw a beautiful kit at The Needle Emporium the other day.
Well, your thrummed mitts have inspired me. I am going to go home tonight and start. I have the yarn and the roving so watch out! I made thrummed mittens about three years ago and my son wore them to school (2nd grade) and lost them the first day.
I will be making these mittens for myself thank you!
Tina
Duluth, MN
Boy, look at all that fleece…
Like Barbara, I’m using the Fana Mittens pattern from Folk Mittens. So far I’ve got the left mitten down, and it is HUGE, so it will go to my boyfriend, he of man hands. Lucky boy! I splurged and went for cashmere.
Thanks for posting pictures on how to make a thrum, looks like I’ve been doing it half-assed (twist in the middle, but not bringing the ends around to meet first). I’ve also been inserting them by pulling the thrum through the stitch below the next stitch to knit, resting the thrum on the right needle and working that next stitch, then passing the thrum over it. Next pair I’ll be trying your method.
I just discovered your blog recently and I am amazed by the Latvian Mittens. Great job!
I had a question about thrums. I took a beginning weaving class recently and we were told that thrums were loom waste. They consist of the extra warp at the beginning and end of a project and also usually a chunk of plainweave that you always put in until the warp evens out.
Is it possible that in the past people used to use the thrums from weaving to make mittens? Anybody know?
Love your blog, keep up the good work.
Congrats ! The mittens ar Gorgeous ! I loved the lavtian ones and now swedish ones ! You are killing me here ! Searching madly for a pattern for either but cannot find . My yarn store looks at me like I am from another planet when I mention the lavtian pattern – I believe they would know what screech is . Off on the search . And yes I am making thurm mittens – I love these too ! Thanks for the Blog !
Happy knitting ,
Kim O
Yike, I haven’t thought of Screech since my decade at McGill..with a Newfie next door neighbor.
Mittens, schmittens. I have googled Screech. I have discovered that one can make a Dark n’ Dirty with Screech and coke.
Really, I’m trying to be helpful here.
1) Where’s the news here? Queen of the World. Old news.
2) Is it illegal for you to mail me some Screech? I think it is, so I shall have to go to my Plan B: Call my brother-in-law who works at the Duty Free.
3) See No. 1.
Shriek! (Or, ‘Screech!’ if you prefer.) I love all the knitting content but I especially LOL’d at Meg’s t-shirt. The apple doesn’t fall far…..xoxo Kay
yes indeed, steph, you rocked the html. and we do do thrums a little different! just a little though ๐ i really need to get that list of mine update with the info you have. i was thinking of alphabetizing it… i’ll email you the list after i’ve bothered ๐ those colourful thrums are going to look so spiffy (and your family will have mittens for eternity ๐
I was holding it all together until the very end. And then I scared the people walking past my house with my insane laughter. I swear they actually looked up at the house.
I want a pair of warm mittens for winter too! *points at the coooooold bus stop* Nay, I NEED a pair of warm mittens for winter. Curse you harlot! ๐
So “rhum” is the drink for thrumming? Who knew. (I have to say, a drink that calls itself “Screech” is a wonderful thing, even if it may taste awful. Worth it for the label alone.)
HUZZAH on the computer wrangling. I don’t know what it is about fighting with computer code, but it is both the most aggravating thing in the world when it won’t work, and the most satisfying when it does, finally, after much tearing of hair.
I want some of those wool balls.
Steph,
All I can say is you must have more hours in the day in Upper Canada than we do down here on the East Coast… holy crow!
The Latvian mittens are beautiful as are the beginnings of the Swedish mittens.
Thanks for the heads up (pun intended) on the extra yarn from the Fleece Artist soft mitts. I think Catherine is generous with her skeins๏ฟฝ not only does she dye the yarn fabulous colours, she packages it in huge skeins with mega meterage and most are $20.00 CDN.
I๏ฟฝm not planning to Thrum๏ฟฝa-long however I do happen to have a bottle of Screech๏ฟฝ
There is a play in Burbank, CA, USA framed by knitting: http://www.goldstarevents.com/events/event/2310.html
I recommend it highly, and I don’t knit a stitch, not ever, at all. I’m the knitting voyeur.
Yes you are the Queen of the World. And I love your daughter’s shirt. At her age, mine read “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.” I like hers better.
I am in on the thrum along thingy. Just what I need here north of Edmonton, and if I visit the kids in Fort McMurray they will be #1. First, you need something like that when it hits -60, second, Fort Mac is the biggest Newfoundland city outside of Newf, so they will feel at home. However, I am substituting Sambuca for the Screech. I hope that is acceptable. Do they have the same tension??
Barb B in Alberta
I’m thrumming too! I started a day early, so I’m afraid I’m half-done with my pair already. I have a brand-new blog thanks to how much fun I’ve been having reading everyone else’s, including yours. http://planetjoni.blogspot.com Come look in a few days and I may be cool enough to have posted mitten pictures by then.
All hail the Queen…and may there always be peace in her Harlotdom. The blog looks great. It kicks ass to do something with one’s own wits, doesn’t it?
Queen Stephanie,
This is the -along to end all -alongs. Most of them show only the “host” person’s work. Yours is an entire tutorial. Should have known you would outdo all others.
Here – out on the Niagara Escarpment, is a weekend trailer place where they fly the Newfoundland flag. I am told that if you go into the area looking thirsty, you might be offered Screech. I don’t go there. I drank a small amount of the stuff about ten years ago. I am hoping the hangover will go away soon.
eeeyyoowww………Screech!! I only had Screech once and that was almost 25 years ago……but I still remember the headache….LOL!! I am thinking of joining the Thrum mitten along…..it looks like fun :-)!
I’m not thrummer, but I am knitting mittens. My first pair ever, and also my first experience with dpns AND tiny needles. I’m nearly done with the first one and I just started them last night. No, I’m not getting much school work done, but thanks for asking. *grin*
(Erm…does your site not like google’s e-mail?)
I pledge allegiance to the Queen.
We have had a bottle of Screech in the “ol’ arsenal” for twenty years now. Finally, I have an excuse to open it. Now all I have to do is go out and find some sheep to sheer so I can join the thrum-along.
Oh, to be thrumming! But (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) I have to catch up on some housework, bill-paying, and other such pesky incidentals before starting another new project. (Note that I didn’t say anything about knitting current projects. I’m not completely stupid.) I wlil be thrumming along ASAP, though!
Your roving looks great colours, what did you use to dye it?
I really want to join the thrum along since my hands get super cold during winter. I need to find our where I can buy the fleece roving though. Any recommendation for a good internet retailer?
Steph, thanks so much for the fabulously cute felted bowl kit prize! It arrived yesterday (so I do have some Newf yarn in my possession – is that close enough to thrumming to count?!). As soon as I get back from vacation (mid-October), I’m going to knit that up and felt it, and then probably suspend it from the ceiling to keep the cat away from it.
I am fighting the urge to thrum… I know it’s a sheep thing (baa!) – everyone who’s cool is doing it, doncha know?! I have too many other projects… Besides, Screech reminds me too much of the howlers in Harry Potter! ๐
Must stay focused on current projects… Must focus on vacation (I’m going to the Taos Wool Festival and then to a knitting retreat in Taos with Cheryl Oberle). Must resist the thrall of the thrums….
Screech! ACK! So many great memories from working/visiting last spring are coming back. You show off, we have long finished the bottle we brought back from Newfoundland. ๐
Thanks for doing the FAQ’s page, I see exactly how wrong I was doing my thrums!!! As soon as I find roving I’m joining in the fun. ๐
Sigh. I wish I wasn’t so damn hot blooded and could join your fabulous Thum-along. Oh well. Would want my hands to sweat off. (it could happen)
In other news, it is great to know where to look for info on the Queen of the Knitting World! You are truly a knitting goddess.
Whoops – meant to say WOULDN’T want my hands to sweat off.
Der.
I would like to join your thrum along mitten knitting. I saw this idea earlier in the year and decided it was a must do item. I have wool yarn, (of course) just need to find the roving. I have been waiting for cooler weather to start.
Thank you for including the tutorial. I had read of how it’s done, but to actually see it is better. Long live the Queen!
Your dye job came out so fantastic! (I feel like I’m making a comment about someone’s hair.) I had no idea when I was looking at the pictures of the undyed wool on your counter next to the crockpot that it could turn into such beautiful balls of potential thrums. Cool!
I am not thrumming, because I am at that stage of life where I am perspiring (read that SWEATING) half the time. I might just try the Screech, though. I like Cruzan rum from St. Croix, and I am happy to share this most amazing rum punch recipe, fit for the Queen of the World (I appologize for the US measurements):
64 oz. each orange juice, pineapple juice, pink grapefruit juice, guava juice (Ocean Spray brand)
6 cups rum
2 cups triple sec
Mix all together and share with a few lucky friends. Happy thrumming and rumming!
Help! My thrums look terrible! I don’t have a “V”, I have a “/” (only going the other way, but my computer wouldn’t accept that). Could you maybe mention how to make a good thrum, vs. a totally sucky thrum? Your instructions are great, btw. Thanks so much!
Stephanie –
I am new to your site. I found it at google looking for a poncho pattern a few weeks ago. Loved the sock’s vacation photos and now the mittens. You truly inspire a newbie knitter and add laughs along the way. The problem is I can only chuckle since I usually read your site at work! Impressive HTML effort too. A toast to the “Queen of the World”.
Rhinebeck…should one signup ahead of time for the classes? Also the one on lace seems interesting but v. long. Any suggestions?
Thanks, a new reader, Loretta
Repeat these last five rows twice, then then first two rounds once. Then wait until tomorrow and I’ll do the thumb. (I’m not holding out on you. I haven’t exactly figured it out yet)
What does, “then the first two rows once” mean?
This is what I have so far:
– I have four thrum rows (each with four plain rows dividing them)
– then I’ve ended with four plain rows (one to set the thrum and then three more plain rows)
And then I take a look at the picture and I can’t figure out what the “first two rows once” mean. Is that the increase row from the very beginning?
Tell me oh wise one! The orange and blue mitties beg of it!
Aha. Thanks for the email. I was counting the wrong unit for the repeats. Here’s a picture of my orange and blue loverlies: http://emmajane.net/handmade/thrumalong-dayone.jpg
My fiance, Graig, has decided that I can knit him a pair too…but not in these colours cos these colours are too girly. (Yay, something faster than the dreaded sock project!) Bring on the cake dye and the crock pot, there’s gonna be some hot lovin’ in the kitchen! Erm, I meant “dying.” I’ll stop now. The screech is getting to me. ๐
To assist roggey, who wrote on the 27th:
“Well, thank god. I was looking for a reason to begin drinking before 11 am on a Monday morning, I mean besides it’s Monday morning.”
I thought I’d pass along the following I just received:
“Older women who have a drink or two a day have better memory skills than non-drinkers, announced researchers from the University of Texas this week.
“Moderate drinkers reported less depression, had higher self-reported health, performed better on instrumental everyday tasks and had improved memory performance,” said Dr. Graham McDougall, associate professor of nursing at the university, in a statement.”
from http://nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=55098&n=dh275&c=odrbtfrlqzrzssm
Sounds ideal for mittens, and this from a nutrition newsletter! What more justification could you want?
Adore your blog, but won’t be making the beautiful mittens. It wouldn’t get could enough for them in Texas if Hell DID freeze over. (Heavy sigh.)