Category: spinning

  • a spot o’ spinning ‘n’ knittin’

    I’ve only a bit of business to report today – seems the last couple days have gotten away from me! Above is my “in progress” spinning basket. On the left is some beauuuuutiful fleece artist wool/silk, one bobbin done (will be 2ply); on the right is some of my dyed bfl, one bobbin done (also 2ply). After I’m done these I think I’ll try to finish up the soy silk/wool that I was working on before, and then back to more bfl…and merino…and I need to find some time to dye some more merino. Hm. Big heap of spinning!

    In knitting, I’m still working on the back of the cable/rib. Bor-ing, but it’s going fairly fast. I should block the finished sleeves now so I don’t have to do it later! Oh, and I finally blocked the black vneck, so photos of that should be up soon. I feel like I’m stagnating on the knitting projects lately, it’s not that I’m not inspired, but there is the push of schoolwork to get in the way.

    Speaking of which, check back later today (or check your bloglines) and I’ll have something up that I need your collective help with!

  • sleeve island

    The Cable/Rib sleeves may be done, but my stay is just getting started – I’m planning to start the sleeves of one (or two) new sweaters really soon. Tomorrow, maybe.

    I should have made the sleeves a bit narrower, but oh well. I finished each sleeve with just a few yards (only 2 in the case of one of them sleeves!) left in the skein that was allotted to each sleeve. I’m almost done the second front, and it looks like I’ll have just enough yarn. We’ll have to see, though – this is kinda exciting, the prospect of running out of yarn. I’ve still got the back to do; I’m planning on taking out a few stitches and not blocking the fronts as severely, for a slightly smaller sweater.

    I’ve also been dyeing up a storm of blueface leicester – lots of fun colours to spin up soon.

  • ah, the smell of new projects

    It’s a balmy 10 degrees Celsius today, and it just feels like one of those lovely productive spring days! I washed a bunch of yarns, and spun up just a bit of new stuff:

    The bottom one is 114 yards of 2ply merino, one strand of red-and-blue single and one strand of solid blue plied together. The top one was made from the leftover red and blue single – it’s 60 yards, navajo plied. More for practice than anything, although it is lofty and squishy!

    I started a new project the other day, and I’m just in love with it.

    It’s the “Cable/Rib Cardigan” from last year’s holiday vogue, knit out of Shelridge Farm W4. This just might be my new favourite yarn – soft, even, multiple plies, great yardage, super colour. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of it (you can bet I’ll be buying a bunch at this year’s downtown knit collective’s knitter’s frolic in April) so I’m heavily modifying the pattern. The sleeve and back will be done in stockinette stitch. I’m up to almost 10″ of one of the fronts.

    I finished the first Trekking sock. I’m not sure why it took me so long, but here it is – this is a horrible photo for the colour; much better one here.

    Hmmmmm. Maybe I should go finish up that vneck sweater and cross it off the list.