Category: spinning

  • olympic check-in day 1; or, what have I gotten myself into

    The progress as of this morning.

    Not much, hm? Well, what you don’t see is the two complete rounds I had to tink due to a screwup with the colours – that’s over FIVE HUNDRED STITCHES I had to undo! In the dim light of a bar amidst lots of drunken knitters! Come to think of it, maybe that’s why I had to undo…

    Anyway, I managed to get back on track and even make some forward progress. Slow, yes, but I’m getting into it – I’m even managing to throw with my right hand without having to take my hand off the needle, sometimes.

    I did schoolwork most of today so I couldn’t knit (I was typing), but I did cast on for a sleeve…speaking of which, how big are Rowan models’ wrists? I know I have tiny little girl wrists, but still…

    I’m even doing a way smaller gauge, dude. Oh well, I’m cool with a bit cuff. Just wonderin’ is all. I did manage some tv (aka knitting) time this evening so I’m done the first motif and onto the second. The rest of the chart looks quite a bit faster than that first motif – at least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Plus I’m always double-checking my colours now to ward off any negative progress.

    Something I finished Thursday: new yarn! Neapolitan ice cream yarn!

    180 yards of navajo-plied merino goodness. And I’ve got tons more of this yarn on the way, so i might even be able to make something sweatery out of it. Once this whole Olympic thing is done, of course.

    Evidence that I really should only be working on Limerick – when I dumped out my knitting bag today (which contained Limerick and the second Ultramerino sock on the needles) this is what I found:

    Eek! Not one but TWO of my casein needles broke. And I don’t have any other 3mm dpns. I’ll have to buy some next week, but clearly, it was a sign.

    ETA: about the sleeves. The problem may have been exaggerated in the photo – I just looked at it again and it’s really not that bad.

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  • blues

    Second FO of the day – finished socks for the boy. Sorry for the blurry photo. Modelled by me, so they’re a bit too long.

    boy socks
    Pattern: basic sock, 64 stitches, 2×2 ribbing, four-point-dec toe.
    Yarn: knitpicks essential, dusk, 2 skeins
    Needles: Lantern Moon US1 dpn
    Finished: February 9, 2006

    Since I wanted to make socks he’ll actually wear, I did the same toe on these as I did on his last pair. It uses the same rate of decrease as my standard toe, but the decreases are spaced evenly around instead of at the sides.

    So in this case, I used four needles (plus the working one, so all 5) and decreased at the end of each needle, every other round until 50% of the stitches remained, then every round until there were 16 stitches left, and grafted. I know a lot of people hate grafting, but I like it!

    I’ll toss this spinning stuff in here now too – three of my latest skeins. All of them have blue in them, too!

    They’re all 100% merino, 2 ply. The one on the right has been set, but the others haven’t – and there’s a real difference there. My skeins always puff up all nice when I give them a nice hot eucalan bath. I also snap the skeins a few times (like cracking a whip) and whap them again the bannister a couple times as well. Gets more water out and just really improves the skein, I find.

    So, you ready to go (or cheer on)? If you’re part of the Toronto contingent, see you at the pub! Hope the lighting is okay, otherwise I might need a headlamp!

  • 100% fleece artist

    New handspun that I just couldn’t stop spinning – the Fleece Artist 65% wool/35% silk roving from this post. I used 2 50g bundles and came up with a whopping 395 or so yards of yarn! It’s not skinny-skinny, it’s maybe fingering-sportweight, around there. It’s just so soft, smooth and shiny! I looooove it. Wool and silk are my favourite combo of fibres.

    Also, here’s a picture of some socks I just finished – basic socks on 60 sts, 3×1 rib cuff and top of foot. Fleece Artist merino sock in ‘Renaissance’.

    They’re much darker in real life. Now to get crackin’ on those Jaywalkers!