Category: yarn

  • working on the stash

    The spinning stash, that is – I just washed up some finished handspun.

    yarn for an xmas present

    This is some Romney that I picked up *last* year at Rhinebeck. I bought three 8 oz. bags, and I’ve spun up about a pound. The roving was fantastic to work with – drafted like a dream, full of air. It was a bit hairy, as Romney is, but nothing crazy.

    mmm, wooly

    I bought two bags of one shade and one of a darker shade, so I decided to spin it up into a three-ply, where two of the plies would be the lighter shade and one ply the darker. Woolen prep, woolen spun (long-draw, fast). It spun up really, really quickly and washed up nice and soft.

    I think it worked out quite nicely – I think the yarn will knit up into a very cohesive fabric with a tweedy, marled look to the colour. I’ve done about 445 g, measuring in at about 900 yards. Just enough for the project I have in mind (a gift). I still have quite a bit of the roving left over so I’ll probably spin it up the same…but for now, more colourful spinning is calling my name!

  • FO: seraphim shawl

    A long overdue post, but you know how it goes.

    seraphim shawl

    Seraphim Shawl
    Pattern: Seraphim Shawl from Mimknits
    Yarn: Socks that Rock Lightweight in Obsidian, 3 skeins
    Needles: 3.75 mm Addi Lace (love ’em)

    This was a great knit – fast, easy but not boring, and super useful. It looks a little crumpled in the photos because I’ve been wearing it before I had a chance to photograph it! I like wrapping my triangular shawls around my neck as a nice big scarf, and this one works really well for warmth because of the mostly stockinette section.

    seraphim lace

    The pattern was well written and fun – it was easy to build up steam since the first many rows were just stockinette with yo’s at the edges and in the middle. There were a heck of a lot of stitches by the end, though, and those last couple rows took forever! It was well worth it – I finished the shawl in under three weeks, I think.

    seraphim, done

    I think the yarn works really well with the pattern – it’s a semi solid, but there isn’t so much variation that it detracts from the simplicity of the shape and the look of the lace pattern.

    All in all, a super successful knit!

  • FO: noro shawl-with-sleeves

    Snappy name, no? Heh.

    noro wrap

    Pattern: my own
    Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, col. 269, 9 skeins (more like 8.5)
    Needles: Denise 6.5 mm

    Notes:
    This was a quick, easy knit! I’ve wanted to make something like this for a long time – it’s just a rectangle with sleeves attached. Kate’s got an accurate sketch of the idea here! My version has seed stitch borders and knit-in seamless sleeves.

    I started knitting on much smaller needles, maybe 4.5? Then I realized that a) it would require way more yarn than I was willing to buy and b) it wasn’t drapey enough. So I went up a couple needle sizes, downsized the numbers and it worked out great. For the sleeves, I knit in waste yarn and later picked it out and used the live stitches for the sleeves.

    noro wrap, closed

    A bunch of people tried it on at knit night Wednesday – lots of love for the natural-colour noro! I love this sweater and have worn it a few times already. I wear it closed with a shawl pin most of the time. I was on my way out the door in these photos – I know it’s nice to see how knit projects do in their actual environment! I was wearing a plain long-sleeved tee from Reitmans, a cool grey skirt, and knee high boots with legwarmers tucked in. I’m not usually so style-y.

    And yes, I’ll be writing up the pattern – sit tight! This one’s a pretty easy one to write up, but I do have to think a bit about sizing and, well, I don’t have a lot of time right now! Hence the rather long delays between postings (for me, anyway).

    Stay warm.