On the grey fleece as of today. I am spinning this batch up much thinner than the last. My aim is for a light worsted weight when navajo 3 plyed. I really want a sweater out of this fleece. My first attempt yeilded a bulky weight that I just wasn't happy with, at least not for the purpose for which I intend. That result was made into fingerless mits that now belong to my mom. She saw them and asked if I would make her a pair. Told her they were hers if they fit her. :-) They did, so she's got something to keep her mits warm when she sits on the back porch with her coffee in the mornings.
I am also not going to spend the better part of the day on the weekends (yes, there will be several weekends needed to get enough yarn for a sweater as slow as I go) camped in front of the spinning wheel as I did last weekend. That was a bit of a mistake. Once I had stopped treadling, and was just sitting there prior to getting up, I realized that I couldn't feel anything below my knees. Felt like I had been traveling all day with the buzzy legs afterwards. Probably spent a total of 3 hours spinning so far today, and will do a bit more later on before bed time. Thanks Rachel for having the group of us over to your house again for spinning and social time. I really enjoied myself. Loved getting in some baby snuggles with your little sweetie too!
Don't have a pattern in mind for the fleece-wanna-be-yarn as yet, but do think that a cardigan will be more useful than an actual pullover. It would definately get more use. I have plenty of time to decide on a pattern. Just so all my bases are covered I will spin till I have about 1,500 yards. (should be about 300 yards more than I need.) The cardigan I am working on now will use approx 1,100 yards.
Still working on the edging of the pi shawl. Did a few repeats of the lace edging this morning and realized that I am finally at the 1/4 mark. Only 108 pattern repeats to go... lol.. that's 432 stitches left to bind off. I am using Barbara Abbey's #1 very narrow lace edging, 8 rows to the pattern, and 4 stitches bound off per each pattern repeat.
The Braids Cardigan is one row shy of splitting up for the yoke. Have to finish up the last wrong side row before I can continue. Need to get that part done after supper tonight so that I will have some easy car knitting for tomorrow morning. If I can't get it ready tonight, there is always the sock that lives in my purse to work on. These are hubby socks. I dyed the yarn special just for him. They are at the heel flaps so won't be long before they will go to live in the sock drawer.
Off to deliver the socks for Grammy Emm and Grampy Pete tomorrow morning. They are our next door neighbor's grandparents. We purchased our truck and 5th wheel from them when they moved into an assisted living facility. We pop in and visit with them every few weeks usually, tho it has been awhile since our last visit due to our own travels and visiting family.
Knit Happy!
Showing posts with label spinning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spinning. Show all posts
04 April, 2009
04 January, 2009
Spinning Wheel, spinning round....
... And as a result I now have 208 yards in 2 skeins of 3ply yarn from my Grey Fleece. Approximately 6.5 ounces spun up... leaving roughly 6 pounds and a few ounces to go. ;-) Umm, yeah.... I will be spinning the grey fleece for quite some time. As soon as these skeins are dry, I will measure the WPI (wraps per inch) I am thinking that I have a light to medium worsted weight. Which is what I was working towards. This first little bit of yarn is going to be knit up into fingerless mitts. I want to see how the yarn holds up and decide if I want to spin up a sweaters worth right away or not. (I have a funny feeling that this yarn is going to pill... ) It is a Merino cross. Photos of yarn to come later. Camera battery is dead.
I am thinking that I want to spin up a bit of my chocolate brown fleece next and see what it feels and looks like. It was yummy looking when I bought it all sheepy and dirty, such a wonderful color, and still a yummy color now that it is all clean. And the three drop spindles all have stuff that needs finishing on them as well.
It has been awhile since my spinning wheel has gotten much use, and thanks to three friends that decided to have a "sit and spin" day yesterday, I remembered how much I really do enjoy the spinning. Spent most of this morning spinning as well. I am glad that we have decided to make it a regular event. Now perhaps some of my fleece and roving stash will be turned into yarn stash.
Now to knit for the rest of the day and get this one project finished up. I can do it. There is very, very little left to do. Just have to attach the second sole to the bottom of the last slipper and sew up the final seams on both of the slippers. Then we are having a "felting party" on Wednesday evening. I am hoping to get the pair of socks I am working on close to the toe decreases as well today.
Knit On!
I am thinking that I want to spin up a bit of my chocolate brown fleece next and see what it feels and looks like. It was yummy looking when I bought it all sheepy and dirty, such a wonderful color, and still a yummy color now that it is all clean. And the three drop spindles all have stuff that needs finishing on them as well.
It has been awhile since my spinning wheel has gotten much use, and thanks to three friends that decided to have a "sit and spin" day yesterday, I remembered how much I really do enjoy the spinning. Spent most of this morning spinning as well. I am glad that we have decided to make it a regular event. Now perhaps some of my fleece and roving stash will be turned into yarn stash.
Now to knit for the rest of the day and get this one project finished up. I can do it. There is very, very little left to do. Just have to attach the second sole to the bottom of the last slipper and sew up the final seams on both of the slippers. Then we are having a "felting party" on Wednesday evening. I am hoping to get the pair of socks I am working on close to the toe decreases as well today.
Knit On!
14 October, 2008
Spinning
I'm going to a spinning guild meeting tonight with a Knitterly Friend.
I have been spinning for a few years now... though by no means on a regular basis. I have an on again off again relationship with my spinning. As in I walk past my spinning wheel (a babe double tredle production model) and or spindles (I have 3 drop spindles and 1 turkish spindle currently) and will think I need to sit and spin a spell... granted, some times I do, and sometimes it's just a thought. I do however keep buying Fleece and Roving and show no signs of slowing that process any more than I could give up buying yarn that takes my fancy.
I can spin a decent yarn, and I enjoy knitting with my hand spun. I also know enough to realize that there is so much more that I don't know. And those thoughts make me want to learn a bit more.
For instance: How to make a yarn for a specific project, instead of spinning the yarn and deciding what to make based on what I have spun. How to recognize when I am mucking it up and how to fix it before I totally screw it up. (Fiber is expensive if you muck it up; I can almost always justify the expense if I get a usable object). How to spin a lace weight... tho I think that I can do this with silk, but not wool or at least I don't think that I can. How to spin a 3 ply sock weight.
I am thinking that if I enjoy tonight, and I am reasonably sure that I will, that this will give me that extra little push towards my wheel (or spindles) just a bit more often. And you know what they say about Practice. I also need to move my wheel back out to the main room as there isn't room in the "Yarn Room" for spinning. I can store it there... but no room to sit in there and have the wheel in front of me. Yet. One of these days. Of course keeping the wheel in the main room has issues attached to it as well. I moved it to the "Room" in the first place because the dog is allergic to wool, tho he doesn't usually bother my knitting and spinning so I might bring it back out and cover it with a drop cloth and see if that will work.
Well, have to get away from the computer and get ready to go if I am going... and I am... so that means stuff to do before I can go play. Like Laundry and Dishes and Vaccuming. Some times (like now) I don't want to be a responsible adult. But a balance is good, tho I do think sometimes that work gets in the way of play. Ah well... that's a rant for another place and time.
Happy knitting!
I have been spinning for a few years now... though by no means on a regular basis. I have an on again off again relationship with my spinning. As in I walk past my spinning wheel (a babe double tredle production model) and or spindles (I have 3 drop spindles and 1 turkish spindle currently) and will think I need to sit and spin a spell... granted, some times I do, and sometimes it's just a thought. I do however keep buying Fleece and Roving and show no signs of slowing that process any more than I could give up buying yarn that takes my fancy.
I can spin a decent yarn, and I enjoy knitting with my hand spun. I also know enough to realize that there is so much more that I don't know. And those thoughts make me want to learn a bit more.
For instance: How to make a yarn for a specific project, instead of spinning the yarn and deciding what to make based on what I have spun. How to recognize when I am mucking it up and how to fix it before I totally screw it up. (Fiber is expensive if you muck it up; I can almost always justify the expense if I get a usable object). How to spin a lace weight... tho I think that I can do this with silk, but not wool or at least I don't think that I can. How to spin a 3 ply sock weight.
I am thinking that if I enjoy tonight, and I am reasonably sure that I will, that this will give me that extra little push towards my wheel (or spindles) just a bit more often. And you know what they say about Practice. I also need to move my wheel back out to the main room as there isn't room in the "Yarn Room" for spinning. I can store it there... but no room to sit in there and have the wheel in front of me. Yet. One of these days. Of course keeping the wheel in the main room has issues attached to it as well. I moved it to the "Room" in the first place because the dog is allergic to wool, tho he doesn't usually bother my knitting and spinning so I might bring it back out and cover it with a drop cloth and see if that will work.
Well, have to get away from the computer and get ready to go if I am going... and I am... so that means stuff to do before I can go play. Like Laundry and Dishes and Vaccuming. Some times (like now) I don't want to be a responsible adult. But a balance is good, tho I do think sometimes that work gets in the way of play. Ah well... that's a rant for another place and time.
Happy knitting!
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