BTF Episode 34: George

In which I miss our houseplant George, make a couple of ten-yard skeins for Master Spinner Level 3, do sweater calculations for Level 2, work on the sweater and start a colourwork hat, announce the winners of last episode’s Side Bet contest, and start filling in the shields in the Tapestry. Thanks for listening!

Shownotes:

Fibre Week

• Master Spinner Program
• Fibre Week at Olds College
• House Sweater pattern from Charmed Knits
• I can’t find anyplace online that shows all these calculations, so here’s a short rundown.

1. Start with a set weight of raw fibre. 100 g is a good round number. Wash the fibre and let it dry. Weigh it again. Calculate the ratio of fibre left (weight washed/weight raw).
2. Prepare all your washed fibre. Weigh the prepared fibre. Calculate the ratio of fibre left (weight prepared/weight washed).
3. Spin and ply a sample. Time how long it takes you and note it down. Finish the skein. Measure the length of the skein and weigh it. Calculate metres per gram (# metres in skein/weight of skein).
4. Knit a swatch for your pattern. Block the swatch. Measure the swatch and weigh it. Calculate how much yarn you used for your swatch (weight of swatch X m/g calculated above). Calculate the surface area of your swatch (length X height).
5. Approximate the surface area of your pattern. Pretend everything is rectangles to make it easier. Calculate how many swatches it would take to make up the surface area of your pattern (total surface area/surface area of swatch). Calculate the amount of yarn needed for that number of swatches (# of swatches X yarn used for swatch calculated above).
6. Calculate the amount of prepared fibre required (# of swatches x weight of swatch).
7. Calculate the amount of washed fibre required (prepared fibre required/ratio of prepared to washed fibre in step 2).
8. Calculate the amount of raw fibre required (washed fibre required/ratio of washed to raw fibre in step 1).
9. BONUS: Calculate the time required to spin all the yarn ((total yarn required/length of sample skein) X number of minutes to spin sample skein).

Fibre Notes

• Top-Down Seamless Petticoat Dolls – Pattern page on Ravelry and my project page.
• Mayim Cardigan by Alexandra Virgiel – My project page, and the pattern page on Ravelry.
• Winterthorn by Rebecca Strickland – My project page, and the pattern page on Ravelry. The two yarns I’m using are Zitron Unisono and Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet DK.

Notion Box

• Congratulations to the winners: stitchingmaniac and frkstrik! Email me or PM me on Ravelry with your address and I’ll get your prize out to you!

By The Wayside

• Official website of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum
• A full panorama of the Tapestry