spinning | Laura Chau

Extreme Cold

February 1, 2018

Okay it’s not THAT cold compared to basically anywhere else in Canada, but it’s cold for us! And it’s certainly colder and snowier than it was last winter. I’ve been hibernating as usual, and knitting loads of things I can’t share here! But I do want to share a few newer patterns that might help you through this darkest season.

I had a new hat and mitten set published in Knitty – and even made the cover! We took these photos on the beach in the fall and it was COLD. The hot pink yarn from Mrs Crosby really pops against all the grey.

I also released a new version of the Snooker Mitts. Originally worked in worsted weight, the pattern now also includes instructions for fingering weight mitts in 3 sizes. They’re great for indoors in the winter, and under your gloves so you don’t get chilly wrists!

For a bit of colour, I cast on a bulky sweater out of handspun. I don’t have much of a plan but we’ll see how it goes. I have 2 skeins of this colour way from Hello Yarn, and it should get me through the yoke as well as some sleeve/body.

At the grocery the other day I saw a bouquet marked 50% off that still looked great, so I brought it home and split it into three vases for around the house. I don’t usually buy cut flowers but looking at them makes me happy!

Stay warm.

back to the wheel

January 19, 2017

So many of my projects need to be kept under wraps for now, but I did finally pull out the spinning wheel for the first time since we moved. I want to do some weaving with handspun, so I’m trying to remember how to spin thicker!

This is a bag of odds and ends from Into the Whirled that I bought at Rhinebeck 2015, just short bits of different colours and fibres. Fun!

I used the jumbo head for the Lendrum so that the whole thing would fit on one bobbin as singles.

I haven’t washed the finished skein yet, but it looks pretty nice. It might have a little too much twist, but that’s okay. It does seem to have kick-started my spinning again!

Also, I started weaving in the ends on this beast! The finishing is going to take quite awhile but there’s lots of winter left to wear it.

new skeins

July 27, 2016

I forgot to share my purchases from Verb in Oakland! One of the “reasons” I “had” to buy stuff was to pay Denny for her excellent sample knitting.

She got some fancy yarn…

And some fancy fabric! Khadi cotton and cotton grown by Sally Fox! I’m pretty sure Denny’s already knit and sewn up all this stuff by now ;)

I got just a yard of this wide naturally-dyed linen – I think it’ll be enough for a longish sleeveless top. And a little yarn, of course! I also picked up Sonya Phillips’ Dress No 3 pattern, since she had picked us up from the hotel to go to Verb it seemed like the right thing to do.

More new skeins, a few that I spun up in July. It’s a good thing I wasn’t reeeeally doing the Tour de Fleece because this is all I managed.

Top: Polwarth in Flintstoner from Indigodragonfly
Middle: BFL-silk in a colour way I can’t remember, also from Indigodragonfly
Bottom: Polwarth/silk in Reverberate (OOAK) from Pigeonroof Studios

For all of these, I split the top lengthwise down the middle and spun each half onto a separate bobbin, because mine don’t quite hold a full 4oz. Then once all the singles were done, I used the jumbo plying head on my Lendrum to chain-ply them, joining the two bobbins’ worth and hopefully keeping the colours nicely intact.

I’m planning to put up some handspun for sale soon so keep an eye out if you’re interested!