I just stumbled upon your blog, and I feel so lucky to have found you! I'm totally in love with your yarns and your words. :)

Patricia,

That is so cool! I haven't had a chance to listen to the last Cast-On yet, since I was out of town for the weekend, but I can't wait! What size are you making? If you are making the same size I did, I still have my notes on subbing Elspeth Lavold Angora. They may or may not be useful, depending on your gauge, but I am happy to share. I would love to get a photo when you're done. It's great fun to design, but the best part is seeing other people make your pieces and tweak them for themselves. Please don't forget to check the pattern corrections (there's a link in the side bar).

xox, J

Elizabeth,

Here's a little more that I've thought about having had some time:

I would ask your dealer to explain the advantages of one wheel over another to you, because it will give you a better idea of what best suits your needs. Most dealers are honest, informative people, so I doubt they will steer you wrong. I think that the majacrafts are very nice wheels. The only one I'd stay away from is the Gem. I don't have enough of a vocabulary to articulate why, but my instinct has been confirmed both by dealers and spinners who have owned it.

The Rose is a dream and I don't know anyone who has one who doesn't like it. It's mostly a matter of feel and cost. I think it could be a tough wheel for some because it is very fast and very responsive. You have to learn to treadle at a snail's pace in the beginning, and honestly, I am still learning how to control it. In comparison, a wheel like a schacht matchless feels like it spins itself and won't require the same amount of work. While that is nice, I felt the Rose had a lot to teach me, so that's the wheel I went with.

High points of the Rose for me are speed, responsiveness, incredible versatility in terms of ratios even before you get accessories, and aesthetics. It is pretty portable for a wheel that isn't marketed as a traveler. You can buy wheels that fit right on it, and there is a handle that swings into place nicely. The four bobbins that come with the Rose are a durable plastic that can be boiled (big plus), and the accessories are legion. It's a great value for what you get.

Other wheels that I've tried and really liked from least to most expensive are: the Ashford Kiwi, the Lendrum DT, and the Schacht Matchless. If you are trying to keep costs down, don't overlook the Ashford or the Lendrum. They are great wheels that you can get a lot of mileage out of. I just knew that this was my wheel. If it's yours, you'll know it, too.

xox, J

P.S. Your spindle yarn looks lovely.

Sorry to post here, but couldn't find an email address.

I know you're a fan of the Cast-On podcast. I contributed an essay to the current episode--#41. I thought it would be fun for you to know that the angora hoodie I'm dreaming about in the essay is, of course, your Lush Hoodie.

After writing the essay, I actually started the hoodie. I'm substituting Elsbeth Lavold as you did, since I wanted to knit it in a chocolate brown. It's my first time subbing yarn of a different gauge, and I'm hoping all my calculator play with ratio comes out okay. I'm almost done with the left front and so far, so good!

Thanks for a great pattern and blog. I always appreciate your sense of style.

Hi Elizabeth!

Sorry to take so long to get back to you, but I've been out of town for the weekend and without internet access. The best advice that I can give is not to buy a wheel until you've tried several. I tried about 10 wheels over a period of 2 months and really got a feel for what I liked before buying. I also spun on a spindle for about a year first, which I think made a huge difference, too. Also remember that individual wheels are different. I tried three Majacraft Rose wheels, and one really sucked. Similarly, I tried a Schacht Matchless that I loved and one that was impossible. I think this has to do with age and how they're set up, but it really can make a difference.

I love my Rose, and I bought it for several reasons - it is versatile and has a ton of ratios, it is very responsive - meaning it doesn't compensate for how you spin, so you can learn a lot from using it, and it is beautiful. But it is not the wheel for everyone. It's a really fast wheel, so especially at first, you will probably overspin yarn on it. I think of it as stick shift rather than automatic.

If you have a chance, take a beginning wheel spinning class to get a feel for what wheel spinning is like and to learn the terminology. I took a class prior to buying and it made a huge difference. I also rented my wheel before buying, which helped.

I'll write you later privately in case you have other questions!!!

xox, J

Forget just buying two dollars' worth--make it a full pound of roving, so you can make matching socks or something. The Marseilles Pullover looks so comfy with all the cabling. I'm crossing my fingers for ya!

Sorry to leave this in your comments, but I don't see an email addy. I'm going to test drive a Rose next Wed. From what I've read on your blog - you really love yours. Is there any advice you can give - what to look for, what to ask, etc.? I tried the Suzie Pro and liked it a lot, but like the looks and versatility of the Rose more. Thanks for any help you can give! -elizabeth

i wish i could be the type to use my stash yarn.... i have soooo much because i always buy more than needed "just in case!" can you please tell me where i can find the pattern for the marseilles pullover? love it!

My Visa company asked me to pass along this message:
Dear Julia,
Your enabling skills are so legendary, they deserve to be skillz. Last night, thanks to your luscious photographs of the Swallowtail shawl, Elspeth's Visa got quite a workout, purchasing not one, but two skeins of Fleece Artist to begin the shawl. She also purchased an additional copy of the pattern, knowing she had one at home, to begin right then and there.
My childrens' college funds thank you for this kind donation.
Best,
Chris Rodrigues, CEO, VISA

Oh. My. You're channelling EZ, my dear, so you're in excellent company. Don't sweat it.

To all of you who mistakenly think I'm thrifty - alas, I am not! One look at my stash will prove that. But I do have a real need to use every bit of something if I can rather than have a bit of something lying around without purpose. Perhaps it's a thrift of sorts, but not the traditional thrift that most people think of. I'm not sure why I'm driven to these mathematical lengths to use all available yarn, I just know that I am.

Heather Lynn and Christine - thanks for delurking and letting me know there are others out there with my brand of crazy. Don't worry, either, I won't be leaving your camp any time soon.

Wanda - your blog name cracks me up. Go girl!

Mary Heather - the merino/tencel is about $2.50 an ounce from paradise fibers (there's a link on my big list). It's beautiful stuff. I couldn't bring myself to pay for the shipping on a $5 order, so I bought 8 ounces of merino and 8 ounces of colonial wool to keep it company! How's that for thrift?

What I want to learn from this (and the reason I posted it) is that there are times when it really is worth going to these extremes and times when it is better not to. I want to know the difference. I do know the difference. If you've ever heard me at Knit Cafe, you know that I always advise buying extra yarn. And if you know me, you know that if you came to me with 290 yards of merino tencel, I would tell you to either pick another pattern or spin more. I'm just not nearly as good at taking advice as I am at giving it. (No suprise there!)

Ok, so that post sounded a bit pedantic. There are times, of course, when one simple needs to buy more yarn/roving/etc!

Oh dear...

At first I laughed at this post, and felt comforted by the fact that other people, at times, agonize over knitting-related issues that seem, on the surface, silly or unimportant. And then, after thinking about it for a while, I felt admiration, and I was really glad that you do take such an effort to use your yarn in such a careful, non-wasteful way (I don't want to use the word thrift because I think it has problematic connotations & baggage that comes with it. But that's just me...)

What I'm saying is that we could learn (yet again!!) from you: we could learn how not to be wasteful--even if it is so easy and seemingly cheap to just buy more yarn. ("What's one more skein? What's the big deal?").

Certainly, many times it really doesn't cost that much more, but if we can avoid being wasteful and excessive in our consumer habits, even when it relates to yarn and knitting, then why not just be that way? Why think it's silly or a waste of time or evidence of neurotic behavior? It's good to take care of, and use wisely, what we've been given--

So I say bravo, dear Julia, dear "mindofwinter," on being such a mindful knitter.

Um, where do you buy roving for $2?

This post made me laugh out loud. I love me some Julia quirkiness!

This completely cracks me up! You are definitely thrifty. I usually have bits of leftovers, but I absolutely hate the idea of running out of yarn and usually but too much rather than have too little. I think you will adore the Swallowtail shawl. I'm glad you went for more roving.

I kind of cringed when you started that shawl with 290 yards of fingering weight handspun. Since I was looking for project for my own 250 yards of handspun alpaca, I was afraid that extra 40 yards wasn't going to cut it.

I was pulling for you, none the less!!

I concur with Laurie M about all of us having our own brand of crazy. Its good to laugh about it. I think the whole spreadsheet calculating yardage down to the last few inches fits into the whole math puzzle side of knitting. Its a puzzle and a challenge. I'm glad to hear that you are spinning more yarn though so that you can make a shawl big enough to wear. Its the sensible thing to do!

Hello,
I've been lurking on your blog for a long time and really enjoy reading it (I got hooked after seeing your patterns on Knitty) I just had to comment on this one because I just finished a pair of mittens last night from a single ball of handspun (one of a kind, so no chance of getting more) and ended up ripping back stitch by stitch from the ribbing at the beginning to finish the tip of the mitten! I also went through a lot of careful calculations to make sure I would end up with enough yarn (and it was very close) So you are not alone! I do the exact same thing, almost every time I make a project.

Sounds like some old fashioned Capricorn thriftiness - and stubbornness - to me (and I should know)! ;) I'm glad you bit the bullet on the extra $2 to buy more roving- I doubt you'll regret that decision one bit!

wow you take it all very seariously with the cutting of fringe and weighing of sock yarn!!! If I thought that much about my knitting I might be forced to have a black out and find all my yarn in a tangled mass in a fit or rage, however I'm very sure you finish more stuff then I do, so that says something!

We all have our own brand of crazy, don't we?

I'm the opposite side of things. I like to go my intuition, and feel my way. Gets me into all sorts of trouble that you never have to deal with.

Oh, Julia--this made me laugh out loud. I do exactly the same thing, which is what prompted my question in the first place--I'm trying to make something knowing full well that I don't have enough yarn before I've even cast on the first stitch.... That said, I'd still love to see your spreadsheet; you could email it to me if you think it's not enticing enough for all (although I'm not sure I'd agree.)

On another note, I really appreciated your thoughts on how wonderfully supportive the knitting community is. Even without a blog (though that may eventually change) I've found that knitters are, almost across the board, a kind and caring group. Astounding, really--but such a lucky thing. I'm glad that your friends, even those you've not met in person, could be there for you at such a difficult time.

And finally, should you be in Washington at any time soon, know that Marie opened a _third_ Stitch DC up in Chevy Chase, and Jess is now managing that one. She's still a kick, and still enabling yarn purchases. It's great fun.

Well, nups aside, I think it'll be worth every bit of effort. Your koigesque is beautiful and if $2 worth of roving gets you enough to finish up, I think you are in pretty good shape.