Handspun No. 3

It is exciting to see fiber transferred from this (braid on the right)


to this


to..... yarn!


My first 3-ply handspun yarn is a FatCat Corriedale braid in the Havana colorway. It was a Christmas gift from one of my sons (probably not in the color I would have chosen). Not sure of a project yet but I am sure I will find a suitable pattern eventually.

Specs:
Fiber - FatCat Corriedale braid
colorway - Havana
"inchworm" drafting and spun on low whorl
3-ply on medium whorl
Yardage: 305 yards
Weight: DK or sport wt

Spinning has become more fun than knitting, probably because I am such a beginner at a new craft. I wonder what will happen when Summer arrives and it is hot and humid. Time will tell.(vbg)

First Handspun Project

This is the first project knit with my handspun yarn which I made (yaay!). I chose a popular project used by lots of beginner spinners - fingerless mittens (but I needed new mitts anyway). The fiber is Corridale in the Chinon colorway and my first real spinning effort. The yarn is thick and thin (typical of new spinners) but I was surprised at how well it knit up. The wraps per inch (WPI) were 12 or 13 in some places which should be about a worsted weight but my gauge was 5.5/inch which is DK. The pattern is a very basic fingerless mitten pattern knit with US 4 dpn's. I have another 125 yards but haven't decided (or found) a new project yet.

My second real spinning attempt is the January Crown Mountain Farms Club fiber which I spun in two different weights. The wool is "Falkland" in the colorway Planet of Bliss. Both weights are 2-ply although I did experiment by adding a strand of commercial lace weight to the thinner yarn. I love the color and the fiber!

First half is between a DK and WW wt



and the second half is fingering wt.


The only other project I've knit so far this year is this pair of Fetching mitts. I didn't spin this yarn - it is Paton's Classic Merino Wool knit with US 5 dpn's. After last week's extreme cold, both pairs of the new mittens were an absolute necessity. Wouldn't you know, our temperatures have now soared to 60 degrees!


Still learning to spin and still having fun!

Falkland

Just before Christmas, I joined a fiber of the month club hosted by Crown Mountain Farms. For the next six months I will receive a different fiber each month and hopefully learn to spin various sheep fibers. Each month I will write about the fiber of the month.

Falkland is the January fiber for the club. My understanding is this particular sheep fiber was only found in the Falkland Islands until very recently. Most people like it and think it is easy to spin. I am not a very good judge of spinning ease since I am so new to spinning.

Members could select a specific color or be surprised with a mystery color. I chose Planes of Bliss (although I have no idea where that name came from!). It arrived as "Top" which looked like this


I already spun and plied half and this is the result. It doesn't look like 2 oz but the large bobbin makes it look like there is less yardage than it really is. I need to spin and ply the remaining 2 oz before deciding what to knit. I think it is probably between DK and fingering wt.


I was very frustrated when I tried to use the jumbo flyer the first time because it was impossible to treadle. Today I asked my DS to start over and reassemble. Yaaay! It works! Obviously he did something wrong the first time and I thought there was a defect in the flyer. Success at last but I may have leg cramps tonight though. (vbg)

The only other spinning I did in the last week was this Merino. So far it has been easier to spin than Corriedale or the Falkland fibers but there is only 1 ounce. It came in a spindle kit which I never used (the spindle, not the fiber). I still have a "cloud" of green and a "cloud" of red to spin. Oh yes, it is on a TP roll!(LOL) At the time all my bobbins were filled so I wound it on the TP foll. It took about 8-10 phone calls to different sites which sell the Lendum spinning wheels before someone actually had bobbins. That place was "The Fold" and their customer service is excellent. Now I have extra bobbins. Goodbye TP rolls!


I am continuing to enjoy learning to spin but still have a long way to go. I have also been knitting but the projects are men's black and gray socks - size 11 - not a very interesting subject for a blog.

I hope everyone is staying warm in one of the coldest winters in many years. We are also very cold in the Deep South and getting colder. If our forecast is correct, I may even have snow pictures later this week (just what all of you with so much snow want to see - vbg).

Next............

.......is my second attempt at spinning, Corriedale pencil roving in the Chinon colorway. I have several patterns in mind to knit it up but I still have at least another half of this roving to spin up. For now I am pleased although I need to learn to spin a more consistent thickness.

Who could guess this


Would look like this



I think watching the colors develop is part of the fun of spinning. Today I started the other half of this roving and it will be interesting to see if it looks different.

Practice, practice, practice!

Yummy!

No, not this. I will show you the "yummy" photo next.

This is my first handspun yarn using the ugly brown fiber. (It looks grey in the photos because it never stops raining!) The only reason I even posted this photo is so that I can remember how terrible my first yarn looks. The good thing is I learned a lot by going through the entire process of spinning, plying, washing, "whacking", and drying (I still need to learn how to tie it into a skein!) It is definitely "thick and thin" and will be saved for posterity, not used to knit.



Here is the Yummy photo.......a chocolate devil's food, chocolate ganache cake with chocolate mint leafs for decoration. I didn't bake it, my son did! He is going to a party this afternoon where guests were asked to bring a dessert which will be judged. The best cake will win a prize.


Notice the chocolate leafs. You make them by painting real mint leafs and then gently removing the leafs once the chocolate sets up. Walla!....pure chocolate mint leafs!


I think he should win but naturally I am not biased.(LOL)

Chronicles of a Wannabee Spinner

DATELINE:

December 1st: A heavy box is delivered and left outside my door. While shopping earlier that morning, I injured my back when I lifted a full-size artist easel (Christmas gift for son). I drag the box indoors.

December 2d: DS assembles my hard to find Lendrum DT Complete spinning wheel which is made by a man in Canada (Gord Lendrum) and very much in demand. I sit back and admire the craftsmanship.


December 3d: Watch YouTube videos and read new spinning books. Begin to try spinning with this (ugly)fiber, also delivered with the spinning wheel(note to self - never buy this fiber again!).


December 4th til now (December 10th)

Watched lots of YouTube videos and read spinning books. Practiced treadling and drafting. Back still sore and spinning practice is very limited. So far I know I am Not a natural spinner (it's harder than I thought!). I have always self-taught myself to do everything (sewing, crochet, knitting, oil and watercolor painting, machine embroidery, etc.) Now that I would like a few lessons, there are NO lessons to be found anywhere in my area! No shops here sell spinning wheels or even spindles! Thank goodness for YouTube!

Maybe it's the ugly fiber which is filled with bits of wood and other things of which I know not. I am told it is called vegetable matter (VM). Hmmm!


And so, I ordered more fiber and after I finish this post, I am joining a fiber club. Me give up!....Never!(LOL)

This gorgeous fiber is just waiting for me. I can't wait to finish spinning the ugly brown fiber and try my luck with this beautiful Blue Face Leicester and
gorgeous red Corriedale.



This probably was not the best time to learn something as new as spinning (Christmas?). Maybe it's a good thing to have a new hobby for the New Year! Soooo, if anyone out there is interested in learning to spin, do not let my experience stop you. I certainly do not plan to stop either.

Juliet and a Warning!

I normally do not enjoy knitting scarves but this scarf was an exception. I liked Juliet from the beginning but I thought it should be longer.

The original pattern is a short 37" scarf knit with only one skein of yarn. I doubled the length which IMO is better. I used two skeins of Knitpick's Swish DK in "Dusk" and my scarf is 58" long after blocking. I meant it to be a gift but now I think I will keep it for myself.



I think the reason I liked it is because the two sides are not symmetrical. Notice how one side is garter stitch while the other side is diamonds.


WARNING! WARNING!

Be careful, VERY careful or you may catch the BUG which is going around! No, I am not talking about the H1N1 virus. This is the BUG I caught from Kathy and Pat Yep, I placed my order yesterday for this elusive wheel. Yikes! Just don't expect to see results anywhere close to these two anytime soon. I know my New Year will be full of lots of learning and probably as many frustrations.(LOL)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!