Spun Stitches

Finally!!

2009-03-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

...I can post something here! I've been a member of Spun Stitches for quite some time, now I have a post to put up.

This is my first "Sheep to Sweater" project. I'm SO in love with this sweater, and proud of the fact it started with a large bag of 100% shetland fleece (Eva Braun was the ewe's name) that I had no idea what to do with.
At first she was destined to become Alice Starmore's St. Brigid but I had a heck of a time getting gauge with my handspun. Then I saw Angela Hahn's Aran Wrap Cardigan in Vogue Fall '08, and knew that was it.

I have about 500 yds leftover, maybe I'll make a hat to go with it?

Keep on Knittin' & Spinnin'!

Heartland Lace Shawl

2009-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

I finished Heartland in July of 2008, but never got around to posting it because I was huge with child. I gave her the proper photo shoot and written description on my blog.

Spring Things Shawl

2008-11-26T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of the Spring Things Shawl. I spun this yarn from some super soft merino top, that I purchased from handpaintedyarn.com. It spun like a dream, so I left it as singles and made this shawl. I love love love it, but I could have made it just a tad larger.

Spinning Along

2008-07-13T13:20:00.000-07:00

Well I've been spinning a bit so I have started a new project just as I've finished another. At the top is a picture of a stole from a Japanese knitting book (shown just below). The book is called Vintage Knitting in Tradition and the pattern show is captioned "Cloches a travers les feuilles" which fleegle thinks means something like "Bells through the leaves". I spun up some Madder dyed BFL that I purchased from A Verb for Keeping Warm . It's a two ply lace weight yarn that I spun on the Majacraft Rose using the lace flyer and fat core bobbins. This wheel used to belong to my sister but she traded me for the Lendrum since she never spins on the Rose and prefers to use her spindles or the Lendrum. I have been buying her pretty spindles as a bit "Thank You" for making that trade since it's the perfect 2nd wheel to my Schacht Matchless single treadle wheel.

I am knitting the birdseye lace center for this stole using US 0 needles. The birdseye is an interesting construction so not at all boring to knit. And lastly, shots of The Saigon Scarf by Badcatdesigns . It's free on Ravelry if you are already signed up for that site. It has lovely beads and the fiber from Spritely Goods is shimmery in the sunlight! Really fun to spin and to knit.

Handspun Juno Regina in progress.

2008-07-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Almost forgot to post this on here. I've got a handspun shawl in the works. It started out as 4 ounces or so of bfl from YarnWench in Cherrybomb.
I spun it up into a 2 ply lace weight yarn, and got about 830 yards.
Here's a close up shot.
I am knitting it into a Juno Regina shawl/stole and it's looking pretty good!
I plan on doing two halves, and grafting. I want to have symmetricalness and all that. :)

Glitz (You want some bling with that?)

2008-06-29T07:50:00.000-07:00

Back again :-) I recently bought batts of a limited edition fiber from Spritely Goods. It's my first foray into "glitz" in that it has sparkle in it from firestar and angelina. This batt is called "Palo Verde" and has merino and alpaca in it. While it looks pretty tame in these photographs, if you take this out into the sunlight, the fibers catch the light and glitter. I spun this on the Majacraft Rose with the lace flyer and fat core bobbin and produced a 2 ply yarn at 25 WPI. The pattern I selected is from badcatdesigns and is called "The Saigon Scarf" and has the added bling of beads which are placed using a crochet hook. It knits up quickly and has really clear instructions. It's a free pattern on Ravelry.

First post and first FO with my hand-spun

2008-06-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Well, this is my first post here ever since I got access to the blog and I can also share my first FO that I knit with my own hand-spun yarn, too! Anyhow, I'm Elemmaciltur (some of you might already know me as Elemm). I'm living in Germany but I'm not from Germany. Been knitting for almost 3 years and have been spinning for almost a year now. I also do a knitting podcast called Knitters Uncensored with two of my friends.

Anyhow, let me show you my project now:

Le Flambé du Pacifique [138:366, 24.06.2008], originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

Start: 8th May 2008
Finish: 17th June 2008
Yarn: My own hand-spun - "Tahiti", merino optim from Chameleon Colorworks
Needles: Addi Lace, 3.5 mm - 80 cm (US#4 - 32")
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006

It's the Swallowtail shawl knit from my own hand-spun yarn. Don't be fooled by the photos though, because the shawl's not that big. It measures to about 125 cm wingspan and 65 cm height.

"Flambé" is French for the Scarce Swallowtail...it's native to Europe and not the Pacific. I chose the name "Le Flambé du Pacifique" (Scarce Swallowtail of the Pacific) because the colourway "Tahiti". Besides, I reckon that the colours on the Flambé's wings also reflects the colourway of this shawl.

Here are the rest of the photos:

Le Flambé du Pacifique, originally uploaded by elemmaciltur.

All photos were taken @ the courtyard of "Prinzipal" (the restaurant at Prinzregententheater)

Have a great week everyone!

Wing-'o-the-Moth Shawl

2008-05-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

I finally blocked the shawl after finishing it October last year.
I did not want to block the waffles out.

Specs:
Indigo dyed handspun Corridale

Pattern by Anne Hanson

More details and pictures in my blog.

I am happy with the end result.

Finished, pics to come later

2008-05-16T03:00:00.001-07:00

Ok, so the deadline for my project is today at 11AM. For the past two weeks, I haven't knit anything but the Alpine Knit Scarf. Now, I'm not a monogamous knitter. I need multiple projects going at once so that I don't have to do the same thing over and over again. So, just knitting this shawl for almost three weeks now was torture.
I'm also not good with deadlines. In fact, I'm so bad with deadlines that even though this shawl is due to my english class today, I only bound off yesterday afternoon and pinned it out to block right before dinner. I literally rolled out of bed and unpinned it 10 minutes ago and I'm not happy with the way it blocked. Last night I was in a hurry to get to the rest of my homework and it blocked not so straight. So, as soon as I get it back from school, like a week from now, I'm going to reblock it. There are no pictures of the FO because a) it's crooked and b) it's 6:15 AM, there is no light outside and I have to be at the bus stop in half an hour. So, sorry about the pictureless post, I'll get some up in about a week or so.

In for another one

2008-04-27T11:05:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess I'm in for another shawl. And this one's for a grade at school.

That's bamboo in three colors and I'm knitting the Alpine Lace Scarf from Victorian Lace Today with it.

More details on my blog.

Hello!

2008-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to drop in and say Hello. I joined the blog last month and have been so darn busy getting ready for our move that I have not had much time to drop in with an introduction. I hail from Nicholasville, KY (just south of Lexington) and have been spinning for over a year now.

When I found the group I had been searching for a pattern to use for some lace-weight natural grey ramboilette wool I had spun and came across Jane's post about the Hyrna Herborgar shawl she just finished. I simply fell in love with how beautiful the pattern turned out. So much so, that I have decided to be a copy cat of sorts. They do that that emulation is the best for of flattery do they not?..lol I was at first a bit leery of buying a book I could not look at first for just one pattern especially with the price tag. Now that I have the book in my hands, I can only say I think there is just one pattern in the whole thing I am not overly fond of. This book is going to be a very valued treasure in the years to come.

Outside of that, we are in the middle of moving our home. We recently purchased a new (not brand) house, so our small little world is being turned upside down so to speak. I am an old hat at moving, but sheesh, you would think that I would have learned after moving over 30 times to not accumulate so much JUNK! Ooops, I mean valuable treasures which I will never use, serve no purpose and could definitely live with out (ahem...junk). DH has been helping, but I think much of this over whelms him. He is becoming a bit more motivated now that he sees none of his treasures (junk) are packed. He thinks we are going to take our time moving everything to the new joint....hehehe....Poor guy just doesn't know what he has gotten himself into....lol

As soon as things settle down around here I will post a bit more:) Just wanted to send a quick hello for now.

Heartland Lace Shawl from Silk Handspun

2008-04-11T12:47:00.000-07:00

I started on the Evelyn Clark Heartland Lace Shawl created for Wild Fibers Magazine. I was able to get a free copy of the pattern, but I think the pattern is now being sold as a kit. This is being knit out of 2.1 oz of Tussah Silk that I handspun on my Babe spinning wheel. I am knitting this on US 4 Lace Addis, which is the first time using this needle, and I like the pointy-ness of it; especially great for SK2P, and maybe even the dreaded nupps of Swallowtail.

My goal is to finish this by my 34th birthday on May 1st, so I can get started on another shawl. For any further details on the yarn or the shawl, check out the blog.

Laminiaria blocking (Mohair doesn't stretch much folks)

2008-03-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

This was quick and different to spin and to knit. I had not really spun any Border Leicester and had limited experience with Mohair when I made this yarn 4 ounces of that mix with a little added alpaca to lighten the color up a bit in sections (the neck/star chart section in particular). I had not really knit Estonian lace unless you count the border for the Swallowtail Shawlette and the techniques for making the stitches as well as how the lace progression developed were all really different than what I had knit before. It is interesting to say that Hyrna also had some interesting stitch construction that I had not run into before but reminded me of this style of lace knitting. Would I do it again? You bet but I would choose a much more elastic yarn to knit this in so that the blocking was not so difficult. Now to go look at my fiber stash for the next project :-) I have a lot of regular lace knitting to do right now so I might be awhile before I post again. I have to knit baby stuff for my now pregnant niece! Later!

Me too!

2008-03-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

There were some very lovely shawls featured in Spin Off's Spring handspun shawl gallery - and I'm honored to be among them!

I've been knitting on some lace, but these are from commercially spun yarns - this issue (along with all the gorgeous projects here) is starting up my urge to spin for another lace project!

Congrats again to Jane - I believe your Legends of the Sea was the teaser in the table of contents!

Great Fun! (Legends of the Shetland Seas Revisited)

2008-03-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Why post a copy of the Spring 2008 Spin-Off Magazine? Because they saw my version of the Legends of the Shetland Seas Stole and asked if they could photograph it for the Spring 2008 Spin-Off Magazine gallery of lace :-) Great Fun! I would never have spun/knit this without participating in the Spun Stitches knit-a-long so thank you Teresa and Kristen for hosting this wonderful site! The staff at Spin-Off made sure to mention this site in the information on the stole. Back to knitting Laminaria.

Laminaria ( Star and Blossom Charts)

2008-03-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

So I'm up to the second chart in the Laminaria pattern at Knitty called the "Blossom" chart. In the last picture, you can see the flower like structure. This shawl is in Estonian Lace which I have not had much experience with. There are large areas of increase to make the "blossoms" you see in this close-up shot. The shawl is a triangle so you'd have to turn the pictures upside-down to see what they will look like hanging down your back. I'm making the smaller version of the shawl since I only have the 4 ounces of yarn and I'm using pretty big needles (US 6). The first picture is of the "star" chart in the pattern. You really can't see anything but I hope when I go to block it, there will be a more obvious pattern. I'm not really crazy about knitting Estonian lace so far. It's a little boring actually though the designer did a great job on this shawl with really good instructions. The only thing I'd change would be to do SSSK on the left hand side of the center to mirror image the right hand side in the star chart section. I'm on the border now and will get back to you all when I'm done.

Next Up, Laminaria

2008-03-19T20:58:00.001-07:00

The word, "subtle" and I have only a passing acquaintance as you can see. I have been longing for the Summer to come and so I took 4 ounces of this lovely Black Bunny Border Leicester/Mohair Top in the colorway "Carnival" and spun a substantial lace weight yarn. I am spinning another fiber very thin on my Schacht and since that will take forever I have been spinning a weight of single that goes fast on the other wheels for fast and dirty projects. Sort of like what I did for my Hyrna. This fiber was spun on my sisters Majacraft Rose with the lace flyer and fat core bobbins. Since the color was so intense, I added some cream colored Suri Alpaca Top to one of the plies to add a little more softness and bring the color down to a dull roar. I have to say, it's not all that soft, but since it will be a shawlette rather than a scarf, maybe it will still be OK. But what to do with it? I had no idea until the Spring Knitty for 2008 came out with the Estonian Lace pattern, Laminaria . I'm knitting another project that I will have to add Estonian Lace to, so this is a perfect opportunity for me to try out a few examples of Estonian lace and get some practice in. I'm using US 6 but could have gone even bigger considering the weight of my yarn. If anyone else does this one, consider changing the "Knit three together" to a SSSK on the left side of the center line of the shawl so that those stitches will mirror the right side. My yarn is so busy that I don't think it really matters, however, if I had been using a solid or semi solid yarn, I think I would not have been as satisfied. Though I had thought to make the smaller version of this lace, if it looks like I have enough yarn, I might make it a little bit longer. I will post more once I have a little bit more on the needles :-)

Blocking Hyrna Herborgar

2008-03-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well this one is done now and thank the Lord for it! The blocking shots are night shots so the colors are not "true" There is more light blues and greens. The finished shawl shots are a little better for the colors and my friend, Louise agreeded to be my model. The pattern is from the book Three-Cornered & Long Shawls by Sigridur Halldorsdottir with translation by Marilyn van Keppel, PhD. The additional knitting notes that makde it possible for me to knit this shawl were from Jackie E-S of heartstringsfiberarts.com. The fiber is from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks and is Bombyx and Merino 4 ounces. The colorway is "Lagoon" and was spun heavy lace weight, knit on US 4 at the start, increased to US 5 with crochet cast-off. I have a little of it left-over but not enough for another project. Blocking was strictly "eyeball", no measuring this time.

I have an idea for my next project but after the Polworth fiasco, I think I will swatch first to see if I like it :-)

Recognizing My Mistake And Sucking It Up! (Hyrna 2.0)

2008-03-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, not only did I not like how the Polworth felt to knit, I did not like how it looked with it's muddy colors. Then it tried to commit suicide by dropping stitches and my brain froze trying to knit the pattern. The Polworth has been put out of its misery and I am now using a heavy lace weight yarn I spun from merino/silk from Chasing Rainbows in the Lagoon colorway. I got the roving at Stiches West this year and spun it over two days on the Schacht. It's not refined in the least since I was trying to prove I could still spin something other than really thin singles. Anyone out there who wants to try to knit Hyrna may want to check out the really excellent and helpful notes from Jackie Her notes really make knitting this shawl much more enjoyable! I'm using US 4 needles in the center and have changed to US 5 for the remainder of the shawl. I will post when done!

Handspun Jacob yarn

2008-03-05T07:57:00.001-08:00

This is the start of a shawl called "The Diamonds"
The color doesn't really show up well, but it's variegated greys. This was some very soft Jacob wool. I loved spinning it more than any I have ever spun. I love this pattern too.

Handspun Kevat Shawl

2008-03-05T07:53:00.001-08:00

I made this one some time ago but never did get around to posting it till now. It was a fun knit and I loved working with this soft shetland lamb's wool.

Finally

2008-03-03T17:22:00.001-08:00

Way back when, I introduced myself to the group and talked about knitting a shawl from handspun. At this time, I don't even remember what shawl was in the plans. In any event, I've finally knit a shawl from handspun.

It's the perfect pie shawl and contains a myriad of wools. A secret pal had gifted me with some handspun way before I began spinning. This shawl is comprised of 5 wedges. I used the handspun from my secret pal for the 1st and the 5th wedge. The wool is a mystery to me. For wedges 2-3, I used a mix of alpaca, merino and mohair. Different fibers, suppliers, and hues. I made it work.

Right now my shawl is without an edging, and although it looks fine to me, I long to spin up something contrasting to really complete my handspun shawl. I'm extremely proud of this, and have immediate plans to finish working on my other handspun project on the needles.

Thanks for looking.

Necia

Start of Handspun Shawl

2008-02-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hello, I thought I'd share the start of my shawl. The yarn is from a skein that has been in my stash for years. I spun it as a singles when I was first learning to spin so it varies from fingering to sport/dk weight. It is from approx 5 oz of BFL, handdyed by Lynne Vogel and spun up to about 668 yards. The pattern is Blue Jean Lace Leaf Shawl. I am really enjoying knitting with this soft, lofty yarn.

Forest Canopy!

2008-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Finished this a day or two ago. It's pretty small but I like it anyway. It's all blocked and done now, it's pinned out in the picture. This is my second shawl from handspun. I've got yarn spun for an Adamas shawl, and I'm spinning for a Juno Regina, and still have roving to spin for one more shawl. I'm taking my time on all those. :)

Hyrna

2008-02-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

Since the color of this yarn is a little muted/muddy, I've decided a shawl with lots of open areas is the best option. Having solid areas only makes it more obvious that the colors don't pop on this baby. The pattern is "Hyrna" from the book Three-Cornered & Long Shawls by Sigridur Halldorsdottir. I'm knitting on US 4 nedles and this shawl starts at the back of the neck and growns outwards like wings (similiar to Evelyn Clark triangle type shawls). It's not a huge shawl so I'm sure I have plenty to knit this. The book is a little unusual in that the charts are all hand written. There is a supplimental booklet in English explaining techniques and an English stitch key so it's been OK to knit so far. I have no idea why I keep picking patterns that are not in English as I don't speak any other language. Maybe something from the Estonian lace book next :-)

Another shawl...

2008-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun doing one, thought I'd do another. I'm further than this. I love the yarn and the colors, and just everything! This was four ounces of south african fine roving in the color Cornucopia from Pigeonroof Studios on etsy. I was practicing getting a thicker yarn, so this is more of a fingering weight at 467 or so yards. Here are some pics of it all.

On the bobbin after plying, this is the best picture of the color.In the skein.A detail shot...
Start of the shawl:
I'm actually a lot further than this now that I look at it...it's the Forest Canopy shawl on size 8 needles, so it's flying by! I can't wait to finish it though.

Got Yarn?

2008-01-29T18:42:00.001-08:00

4 ounces of lace weight yarn. Doesn't look like much does it? I plied the Polworth and I imagine I have enough for a smallish project. Should I try to figure out how much I actually have or just throw myself into a project and pray? And what to make? I plan to decide this weekend when I swatch. Size US 3 or higher I think. It will fluf when washed. What happened to the merino/tencel you ask? I tried to spin it thin and I hated spinning with it. There have only been a hand full of things I loath to spin. I disliked spinning un-cut baby camel (yarn felt waxy), really don't like mohair or bunny rabbit (had to take allergy medication) and now I can add tencel to the list. Though it looks a little like silk, it doesn't act like silk and felt listless, almost brittle in my hands. I will try to spin the merino/tencel thicker for knitting other things but if I still hate it, I will see how my sister likes it since she uses spindles to spin more than the wheel. I'll be back once I figure out what to knit with this stuff :-)

Luna Moth shawl finished!

2008-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my Luna moth shawl and it's blocked! Didn't do such a great job blocking the top of the shawl. Still, I think I did a good job knitting it - a fun pattern. It was even more fun to spindle my own yarn, then dye it with onion skin, and knit it into something beautiful! I'm very proud of myself right now ;)

Polworth (What to do with only 4 ounces?)

2008-01-19T09:12:00.000-08:00

So I have these 4 ounces of Polworth that I bought on sale from Deep Color when it was closing it's store front. I don't know about you all, but 4 ounces of anything is kinda of little for someone like me. The color is YUMMY but still... I mean...4 ounces. I'm spinning it on my Schacht single treadle and if it looks like I just can't figure out what to make with such limited yardage I might just spin the merino tencel (another Deep Color purchase) you see below and ply it with the Polworth. This is the first time I've tried spinning Polworth and it's kind of "spongy" to my hands. Oh well. The start of a project. What will I make? Lace of course but not sure just yet what it will be :-) I'll have to get back to you.

First shawl done!

2007-12-28T23:28:00.000-08:00

Here it is! Handspun BFL on my Little Gem in Amore from Flawful Fibers. The shawl is the Swallowtail from the fall '06 IK. I'm posting these pictures of it blocking, because my camera just broke so that's probably all I'll have for a while...sigh. I love it though and am very proud of it. Oh and the second pic is without flash to show off the beads which are instead of the nupps. :) There are also some you can barely see in the points on the edging, I added them there too in between the yarnovers.

Update on Luna Moth shawl!

2007-12-25T12:43:00.001-08:00

Well, it's slow going on the Luna Moth Shawl that I started with my onion-skin dyed handspun leicester longwool fleece. I've been sidetracked by other projects. It's coming along nicely though. I have 2 more pattern repeats to do. I'm pretty pleased with how it looks.

Legends of the Shetland Seas Done and Done

2007-12-24T17:03:00.001-08:00

To re-cap. Started June 2007. Spun a single in BFL and a single in merino from Lisa Souza in her "Petroglyph" colorway on my single treadle Schacht and then plied them using the lace flyer on our Majacraft Rose with the fat core bobbins. Got lace weight at approx 36 WPI and knit Hazel Carters "Legends of the Shetland Seas" on size 2.5 mm needles. I like how it came out :-) Happy Holidays to everyone!

Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl

2007-12-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shoulder Shawl, by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn: Handspun BFL, Antigua colorway, fingering wt, approx 375 yds, fiber from Sakina Needles
Needles: US5/3.75mm, KnitPicks Options circs
Finished Size: 56”w x 26”

Details on my BLOG.

Legends of the Shetland Seas Stole (It's Edging Time)

2007-12-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

So now both ends are done and it's just the edging that needs to be completed. In my house it's know as "endless edging" since it feels like it takes forever. However, in this one instance, I promise that this sucker is going to be done before the end of December unless I break an arm or something. The picture where both sides are shown has the more accurate colors. I'm not much of a photographer and a lot of these shots are at night with a flash so often colors are not "true". The yarn I spun is not always consistent. Some sections are thicker than others but over-all, it's looking pretty. It will be interesting to wash it and block it. I hope the lace will show better once it's blocked. Good evening and Good Knitting/Spinning!

Woohoo! A shawl finally.

2007-12-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

Almost. Here I am done with the first lace pattern for the Swallowtail shawl. I finally decided on that pattern because I wasn't sure if I would have enough for my first choice, Ene's Shawl. So I am knitting on 6's due to the thicker yarn and it's coming out gorgeous if I do say so myself.I really love the striping that is going on, and hope it continues in the border as well. I'm starting that now and am really exciting to finally meeting the goal of this spin/knit along after so long and several false starts. :)

Cleite Shawl in handspun alpaca

2007-12-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yarn: Handspun alpaca from Wooly Wonka, 2-ply lace to fingering weight, 286+ yards, spun on the Lendrum DT, fast flyer
Needles: Addi Lace, US3/3.25mm
Pattern: Cleite Shawl, MimKnits
Started: November 23, 2007
Completed: November 30, 2007
Finished Size: 46” across, 22” deep

More details on my blog posts here, here, here, and here.

Oh spinning ADD

2007-11-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

So I can't remember what I did in my last post, but I've started spinning two different lace yarns meaning to knit a shawl for this spin along/knit along. Neither of them are done because of beginner's mistakes. So I spun something new. It's 4 ounces of bfl, which is my new favorite fiber.

This was the original roving:
And this is how it spun up. 600 yards of a fingering weight yarn. Not sure of the WPI, probably from my estimates, 17 or 18? (I need to find a ruler...) I'm going to knit the swallowtail shawl from it. I have yet to knit one and I think this will work out great.Right now it's soaking and I'm about to go hang it to dry! I can't wait to knit it up.

ETA: Ok I went and looked back to see my last post. The merino silk is being spindle plied due to breakage and is taking forever... I have finished spinning the pink merino but it's under-plied and I need to fix it (ugh). AND I have a new wheel after all! Majacraft Little Gem. It's great for lace and I love it SO much.

It looks crooked in this pic, but it's not, it's just my ever-so-talented skills at picture taking.Oh large bobbins how I love thee...

A Mobius

2007-11-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

No, it is not as refined as other recent posts but yes, it fits my style and lifestyle perfectly! The Mobius shawl sets on my shoulders just right and it is warm without being heavy. I am wearing it tonight to our local High School's Championship Football game.........it will be just right with my jeans and a light sweater under it!

I do have a 'finer' shawl in the works, but I keep ripping it out.......I will perservere.

2007-11-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

My spinning on this project is still progressing (very slowly). But I finally took my original sample and swatched it up to see what it would look like. I'm pretty happy with the result (more photos on the blog):

It won't be Frost Flowers and Leaves, I think that I would prefer a rectangular shawl and I'm also sure I won't have the appropriate yardage for the original - but I have a 'thing' for this stitch pattern, so I'd love to use it somehow.

I think it's reasonable to assume that I'll finish the yarn by the end of the year; I've got a few more ounces of the merino/tencel to go, which is progressing very slowly; and then I think it will need to sit for a bit before I ply since I've been working on it for so long!

I'm loving the inspiration from all of your progress and FO shots :)

One End Done (Legends of the Shetland Seas Stole)

2007-11-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a long time since I posted. The "Legends" stole went to the back burner while I finished other lace projects but I have resumed knitting on it. The Center has been done and now one end is also completed. See above. 2 ply BFL and Merino singles from fiber purchased from Lisa Souza . Now to do the other end.

It's dryyyying!!!!

2007-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

It's so big that we had to fold it in half.

waiting to block

2007-11-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Cap Shawl is all done. I finished yesterday but, it's waiting to be blocked. The only spot big enough in the house where it won't be stepped on is my parents bed and that won't be completely free for use tomorrow (my house is filled with people and dogs). So, I'll take picture on Tuesday if the weather is good. I would have pictures right now, but unblocked it looks like a giant mess. I know it'll all be straightened out when I block it. I'm already picking out my next handspun shawl but, before that I've got a little bit of Christmas knitting to do and I'm thinking I'll knit one out of commercial laceweight too.

Shetland Triangle Finished

2007-11-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

Here is my Shetland Triangle shawl that I finished from my handspun.

More details can be found on the blog.

Indigo Dying

2007-10-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

This is Corriedale dyed at the WWPHS guild retreat last year.

Spun to lace weight 1200 yds. I love the yarn. It is in the process of becoming a Wing of the Moth Shawl.
The wheel is a Louet S45 tiny, light weight and efficient a big ugly but I love it!
More details in my blog Yorksett Arts & Crafts.

Fast Forward a few hours, here are the pictures of the shawl. Just love the little bumps. Too bad they will be blocked out.....or do they have to?

Spiderweb Shawl is Complete!

2007-10-29T13:33:00.001-07:00

Just in time for Halloween, I have finished my Spiderweb shawl!

The complete details can be found on my blog

Re-Intro

2007-10-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

It's been awhile since I've last posted on this blog. Way back when, I was torn between spinning some natural colored punta roving I had in my stash or spinning a blend from Paradise Fibers. I ended up spinning both, but only have a picture of the Punta to show for my efforts. Sadly I've yet to knit with
either/or. Although I've been knitting more and more with my handspun, I still wanted a project that I can detail on this blog. Well, ask, and you shall receive. I found my project via the Mystic Waters KAL on yahoo. Mystic Waters is a mystery shawl knitalong. Clues are given out weekly. From there I took it a step further, and decided to spin to knit. Here are some pictures detailing my work thus far

8 oz Merino Top from Little Barn. I spun up a small portion, just to get started knitting in time for the first clue, which was released last WED I yielded around 293 y (2 ply) My plied yarn measures 16wpi in "most" places. Ha. And, finally the knitting. Here's clue 1 all done, patiently waiting for Clue 2 I'm having a blast so far. I think I have enough yarn to get me through 1 more clue, and to the spinning wheel I shall return. The pattern required about 1320y of yarn.

Thanks for letting me share!

Necia

Green Over-dyed Mobius

2007-10-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have admired the works on this blog for months and am pleased to join up. I have been inspired by the work presented here and I purchased this blend of wool and mohair on-line just to be able to join in with your KAL!

The 8 oz of roving came as a blend in yellows but when finished, the yarn didn't thrill me-a bath in the crock pot with some green dye did the trick! I spun the yarn into a light, worsted weight yarn on my Ashford Joy wheel and am knitting it up quite quickly because the pattern is a cinch to memorize. (I am knitting up the mobius shawl from a pattern in the current copy of the Creative Knitting Mag p 46).

Returning to the old yarn

2007-10-26T13:06:00.001-07:00

So after getting distracted and getting this:

I finally got to plying this:

Finally! A Project to Work On!

2007-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

When I joined this group, I went thru my stash to see what I already had spun up. I came up with one skein, single ply between a lace and fingering weight. It was from BFL that I dyed and out of 4 oz, there are approx. 706 yards. I have been looking at this skein and also looking at patterns to see what I wanted to do with it. Then I read Stephanie's post mentioning the MysticWatersKAL and it was an "AHA" moment. I just loved the name of the shawl and the color of the skein seemed to fit. However, I need around 1200 meters. So...once again I dug in my boxes...( you have to realize, I made a recent move to a new state so a lot of my stash is still buried in boxes). I not only found beads which will match but another ball of roving that I dyed at the same time. Serendipity!!
This is my skein already wound and the roving I have yet to spin. If I spin to the same thickness as before, I should have a wee bit more than needed. Keep your fingers crossed! I am really looking forward to knitting this shawl! I'll keep updates here and on my blog. I am fortunate to have found this group. You all provide great inspiration! Thanks!

Happy spinning and knitting,

Lee aka BAAbins

That's a wrap!

2007-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

When I bought some beautiful Optim from the ever helpful Mandie at Ewe Give Me the Knits (don't you love that name), she assured me it was soft - boy was she right.

I planned to dye it a specific way, with a deep dark teal going through to a light sea green, and it took the Ashford dye really well. Plopped long long long strands of the roving in the dye pot in Dark Teal and with the section on the top that didn't settle in I poured over some Teal/Yellow.

Spun carefully to keep the colour graduation, I did countless happy dances in the loungeroom and forced my Wool Widowed Husband to 'feel how soft this is'.

After much swatching and knitting - I wasn't too happy with the result as I had another 'vision' of what I wanted.

The end result, after a skein was used on my Ashford Knitters Loom, can be seen on my flickr page - but here is a teaser.

The set of flickr photos can be found here if you want to see all the photos.

Half Way

2007-10-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

The first half of the Honeybee Stole is finished. I couldn't resist blocking it so I could really see what it looks like.

I'm very pleased with it. This is a symmetrical stole worked from the centre outward so, with the first half successfully completed, I anticipate no problems with the second half. Now I need to get busy and finish spinning that second package of Black Rainbow Glitter from Aurelia.

Here's a little close-up of a modification I am doing. I'm adding beads to the side and end edges. They are the "oil slick" colour, I think referred to as "dark aurora borealis", and they match the glitter in the handspun perfectly.

Also, instead of the "bind off loosely in knit" I'm using a great bind-off I learned when doing the Swallowtail Shawl. It makes for a very stretchy yet tidy edge.

K2, *transfer the 2 stitches on the right needle back to the left needle and then K2tog through the back loop. K1 and repeat from* around.

FO: Scarf with Striped Border from Weldon’s Vol 5

2007-10-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

I’ve got a small FO to share, details on the knitting HERE.

This easy scarf was knit with Ashland Bay Merino/Tencel 70/30, spun to a 2-ply sport/DK weight, 16wpi, about 400yds and 3.5oz, on a Louet Victoria.

I used the smallest whorl on the regular flyer at 12:1, and low to medium tension to spin the singles with a fairly high twist. It's a standard 2-ply, with a bit lower twist than the singles for a soft drapey yarn.

Progress on Honeybee Stole

2007-10-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

I'm well into the bee and honeycomb section of the Honeybee Stole now.

I'm hoping I'll have the time to completely finish this half of the stole before I have to put it down again. I'm allowing myself a few days working on it and then it's back to projects with looming deadlines again.

One Moth to Love :)

2007-10-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

While this moth did bring a smidge of aggravation (eep - running out of yarn!), it was well worth all the effort at the end. Here's a little collage of the various stages of this project. Details and big photos and musings can all be found on the finished objects blog.

I'm now contemplating spinning some yarn for the Mystic Waters lace shawl knit along though I'm not sure if I'm up for it - I have a very limited amount of merino-silk that I think would be lovely, but I'm not sure if I can spin fine enough to guarantee enough yardage. Unlike the yarn I created for the Wing of the Moth, the fiber in question isn't one of my own blends...

Course, I'm also contemplating spinning for the HoneyBee Stole.... :) choices choices!

Morning Surf Scarf!

2007-10-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful project from the beginning! I received 2 oz of merino/tencel as part of Spunky Eclectic Fiber of the Month Club, and the colorway is called "Aspen". I had to start spinning it the same day.

It was a challenge to find the right pattern for my yarn. Here are some specifics:

yarn: of course my own handspun, 2 oz of Spunky Eclectic "Aspen", 2-ply ~ 216yds

pattern: Morning Surf Scarf by Jackie Erickson-Schweitzer

needles: 3.25mm

size after blocking: 6.5" x 50"

I had not much of the yarn left. This was very satisfying and just a wonderful experience.

There are more pictures on my blog .

Happy spinning and knitting,

Monika

center done, onto edging

2007-10-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

I know I've been pretty quiet for a while, with school and all. But look, I finished the center!! And started the edging!!!

So far, I love knitting this shawl. I love the color variations throughout the shawl, which was one of the things that really worried me early on, that I might get so far and realize that I hate the colors.
I took it to Knitting Guild with me last week and a few of the members said they can't wait to see it finished. So now, I'm really motivated to get it done before our November meeting on the 7th. Probably not going to happen, but I'm going to be optimistic to try. I have a whole section of edging done, so only 653 more rows to go!

A new yarn

2007-10-11T00:00:00.001-07:00

I got bored with my pink merino so instead I've been spinning something else. Now that it's out of the way I can go back to the pink. In any case here is a pic. It's a wool silk blend that's very shiny, fluffy, and soft. It started out as mostly orange with some hot pink, yellow, and lime green. I got some cool barber pole effects where the colors are pure, and then some awesome in between colors of peach, lighter greens, and orangy pink.I'm actually really happy with it. But now that I'm plying it's giving me some issues. I guess my first single was underspun, and the first part of my second single. So just the tension of me pulling it off the bobbin is causing it to come apart. This is about half of it I think, maybe more but I'm afraid to even touch the other stuff, even to wind into center pull balls. That's what I might do though and use my spindle to ply the rest. From now on though I'll be sure to add a lot more twist...

I keep telling hubby I need a new wheel...with a lace flyer. If I keep blaming the current wheel, do you think I'll get a new one??? ;)

Oh yeah and it's about 385 yard so far, not counting what I have left to ply. Seems like a ton...I only had 2.3 ounces of roving!

I Got Distracted

2007-10-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you recall, I was spinning some lovely purple, blue, black colonial wool. (way back when)

After I finished spinning the second bobbin and before plying them together, I got distracted by the Winter 2007 Wild Fibers Magazine article about the Buffalo Gold fiber contest winner Evelyn Clark's Heartland Shawl.

I thought how neat would that be to spin up the Buffalo (Bison) which I bought at Rhinebeck '06 before I knew anything about fiber and spinning. I was hooked.

Spinning this stuff on my laceweight Golding was like spinning butter. (sorry for bad pix, it didn't sit still long enough for a good shot)

This is a 3 ply Sport-DK weight with 2 singles of handspun bison and 1 ply commercial silk (advised by ThreeSheets)

After spindling for about a week, I couldn't wait to start knitting, so I started knitting the shawl on my commute and spinning at night in front of the TV.

Then I traveled back and forth from NY to California for 2 weeks for business which gave me 25 hours of dedicated knitting time and so here we have it blocking on a sheet:

For more info check out my blog and later my video podcast LetsKnit2gether for details.

Now we return you to your regularly scheduled program.... I'll return with the other yarn eventually....

2007-10-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Teresa & Kirsten for hosting this lovely spin/kal and allowing me to join in the fun. This is my first post, I've been watching you all for a good part of the summer, while off & on spinning for a shawl, and am finally jumping in.

I am working with two handpainted fibers - 4oz. of Merino/Tencel from Bonkers! in colorway Deep Ocean; and 4 oz. of Tussah Silk from The Flock Bronsanas in colorway Allison. The Allison Fiber is darker in general and is vibrant jewel toned blue and green green in it; the Bonkers leans more to the lighter side. I plan to ply them together for a heavy laceweight/light fingering weight yarn. This is a fairly long term project for me - I am a slow spinner, and have a lot of knitting going on as well, so my time is pretty divided. I started the spinning on this in July - Watching you all is great motivation/inspiration though!

I really love Anne's Morning Glory Shawl, and since I think the yarn may be a bit heavier, this might work out well. I also have had a long standing fascination with the Frost Flowers stitch pattern as used in the Frost Flowers and Leaves pattern from A Gathering of Lace. I would want a rectangular shawl though, I think, so I may have to play a bit. And ultimately, what I do with it depends on the yardage that I end up with. I'm a very new spinner, so we will see!

The spinning on this has taken a bit of a backseat to some knitting I've had going on (though I am working on my first handspun/handknit project right now - socks, come on over & see if you like!), But I plan to finish up spinning the silk by the end of the week, and then the Merino Silk by the end of the month.

Here's and old, rather off-colored photo of the spinning sample - a bit underplied, I'm afraid.

Anyway, Hi! And thanks for letting me play along!!

-mel

Finally done!

2007-10-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

The forth generation shawl is finally done!

(pardon the sneer)

And all that's left...

2007-10-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

is this much yarn :)
shhhhh! She's blocking :D

Through the Swarm

2007-10-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

The second chart is done. I'm through the "swarm" section of the first half of the Honeybee Stole.

Here's a closer look at that (unblocked) section.

Wovenflame

Well, it is almost done...

2007-10-03T15:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not happy. I had planned on making a basic bolero jacket, and misjudged the amount of yarn I had. I could have sworn I had 148 yards on both skeins, but looks like I have forgotten how to add. I have run out of yarn, and it is big enough to fold in half and make a large bag, I think I will felt it. This pic shows it folded over... Live and learn I guess. It is only my 3rd hand spun (on a spindle) yarn, I am hoping to get better soon!!!

Niki
http://homesteadinyarning.blogspot.com/

Back to the wheel....eek!

2007-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

So I'm knitting along, keeping a close eye on my yarn, and I find myself 3 rows into the corona edging on the wing of the moth....and I'm going to run out. There is no way I'm going to make it without having to spin more yarn....

*sigh* I swore I had enough yardage...but apparently not. I guess I need to haul out the fiber and do a bit more hand blending. Thank goodness it's my own blend and I have more fiber on hand!

Progress Photo

2007-09-29T17:58:00.001-07:00

100 rows done and another 100 to go before there is a stitch pattern change.

I'm managing about 20 rows per day.

Turbulent Indigo

2007-09-27T13:36:00.002-07:00

It may not be an elaborate lace shawl, but I've finally gotten around to knitting a bit of lace with my handspun yarn.

I'm calling it Turbulent Indigo after the Joni Mitchell song of the same name. The color and the patterning had me singing the song the whole time I knit.

Turbulent Indigo
Pattern: My Own - I will offer it as a Freebie soon on my blog.
Yarn: Spun from 4 oz. Knitterly Things, Vesper Roving, 100% BFL. I never got around to measuring the WPI on this, but it is roughly a sport weight yarn.
Needles: US 7
Finished Measurements: 5.5x64"
Notes: I knit this from end to end to allow the yarn to form vertical stripes.

More photos can be found on my blog.

YIPPEE! I'm a part of the group!

2007-09-27T05:58:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

I am excited to be a part of your group. I have been inspired by so many of your projects. Now I better get busy and start spinning so that I have something to work on! Thanks for including me! I'm new on the blog scene and I'm learning more every day. Instead of telling you my background, I will refer you to the entry of "Starting With Socks" on my blog.

Keep up the great work!

Happy spinning and knitting,

Lee aka BAAbins
my blog

First post here

2007-09-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is my first post here, as well as my first project using my own hand painted and hand spun on my spindle yarn. I love the way it is knitting up, and am making something very simple. It is going to be a bolero jacket, with simple stitched sleeves. I made one using sari silk yarn before and I love it!Here is a picture of the progress. I am using size 8 circ needles(just to support the weight) and the roving to begin with was a plain wool roving, so very soft. I dyed it using kool aide and beet juice left over from pickling beets. My dig camera is weird, so the color is off. The true color is so much softer pinks and greens and purples than the pic is showing, not strong or hard looking at all. I hope to be finished with this, and my clapotis before the secret stole kal starts on the 5th...

Niki

http://homesteadinyarning.blogspot.com/

Starting Over

2007-09-25T12:02:00.000-07:00

I've changed my mind, and my pattern choice. With the MS3 ripped I've started reusing the handspun "Black Rainbow Glitter" on the Honeybee Stole. After a bit of a rocky start, once, twice, third time is the charm. I'm up to row 28 now.

The red at the top (from this perspective) is just my provisional cast on. The green blips at the bottom are snippets of plastic straw I use for stitch markers. I'm adding beads to the edges of the stole, but they aren't visible in this photo.

Thanks Kaylen, for the use of your flannel "burp cloth". It makes a great lap cloth so that I can see the black stitches a little better. It works great when I'm spinning black too.

Kimono Cardigan Wrap Progress

2007-09-18T09:45:00.001-07:00

Here is an update on the Kimono Cardigan Wrap (KAL). This is the completed back panel, the largest part of the project. Handspun alpaca and merino blended yarn, also stripped dyed. You can see at the very top where I added more dye to the bath of the third skien because alpaca is stubborn in obsorbing dye...so it will have a darker collar. Neato!

Halfway there...

2007-09-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry no photos...I keep forgetting to take pictures until it's nighttime and then the light is yucky.

I've finished the first skein of yarn and have now joined the 2nd skein....I'm on something like #12 of 15 repeats of the main body of the Wing of the Moth shawl....I'm looking forward to seeing how the more variegated yarn knits up - I've noticed small bits of variegation in the first skein, but they are definitely much smaller than the 2nd skein of yarn that I had spun. A reminder of what the skeins look like here. So far, I'm really pleased with the knitting, and the shawl feels so soft - with all that angora in it, I can tell it's going to be very warm. Too bad it's still well over 90 degrees F where I live!

Does this Clash with 1970?

2007-09-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Okay...tell me honestly...is this clashing?! It's trippin me out man!

This is some of my handspun, hand-dyed, Targee yarn for the latest in the Mystery Shawl KAL. I hope, as the shawl gets bigger, that the colors will tend to puddle together instead of stripe. EEP! It's oober soft and warm!

2007-09-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Hello to all, and thanks for letting me contribute. This is my current handspun project. I am using some nice Jacob fleece that I purchased, washed, flicked and spun from the locks. It is a fingering weight yarn. The shawl is from www.die-wollust.de. A german site but the pattern is in English. I love this wool, it was so easy to spin. I have heard that Jacob wool is coarse, and it is, but this is a soft coarse. I really like the color variations in it. From black to almost white, and all shades of grey in between. The photo looks more taupe, but it's really grey.

Swallowtail Finished

2007-09-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my third handspun shawl, but second completed. It is a lovely pattern.

I am currently planning another shawl with my laceweight handspun. More details on Swallowtail on the blog.

It's been awhile!

2007-09-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, I so need to subscribe to the feed to this here blog so I can keep up with all the fiber artist going-ons here! I love all the yarns and projects that have been posted!
Here is a bit of an update on my spinnings:
I acquired way too much raw fleece at the local sheep and wool festival (wisconsin). All in all, 22 pounds worth!! My final decision? Only buy fleece at the festival because the poor closet is literally bursting with bags of fleece now!

The close up brown fleece is from a Border Leicester lamb named Lenny from a local farmer. I am spinning lace-weight from his fleece to for the Secret of the Stole KAL which starts in October. Below that is my first swatch with beads you can hardly see. I want to use bright green, gold lined, seed beads instead so they will pop out from the design. Now my only problem is finding them locally!! I just cannot justify buying beads online when shipping is more than the cost of the beads!

That is all for now I think. I am also making yarn for the fall Mystery Shawl and clue #1 was released yesterday. I just need to ply and set the twist then I can get going on that one.

Argosy Scarf, FO and Forest Canopy Started

2007-09-16T08:37:00.001-07:00

Finished an Argosy Scarf in handspun corriedale

Details:
Yarn: Handspun Corriedale pencil roving, from Crown Mountain Farm, color: Inspiration

Needles: US3 / 3.25mm

Pattern: Argosy Scarf from Knitty

Gauge: ~5 stitches/inch after blocking

Completed: September 15, 2007

Finished Size: 6 ½” x 64”

Mods:
I added an extra increase to make the scarf wider since my fingering weight yarn is a little lighter than the pattern’s DK or sport weight. But, I didn’t knit as many repeats as I didn’t want a six-foot scarf. I blocked it fairly strongly to open the lace.

Working now on spinning some laceweight merino/tencel for a larger stole. And I'm knitting up a Forest Canopy Shawl with some BFL from Sakina Needles.

Finally something worth posting...

2007-09-12T15:29:00.001-07:00

After getting used to my new wheel, I've been busily spinning and last night I plyed for the first time on my wheel. Here it is on the bobbin and a strand to show the thinness.
After I wound it off the bobbin I wrapped it around a box since I don't have anything else. There were 170 wraps, and it's about 50 inches around one wrap. So based on calculations I have a 22gram skein of 234 yards! Way more than I thought I would get. I still have 64 grams to spin as well. So I think I'll get another...600 something yards? That seems like a ton for less than 4 ounces of roving, I was expecting to get maybe 400 tops out of all of it. That's not counting the yardage I got from my spindle and spindolyn before the wheel came along. I'm so excited!

Dogwood Miters

2007-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just this weekend I finished a shawl that I have been working on since May! I turned this Corriedale yarn

Into this shawl

More info on my Blog

At Nupps End

2007-09-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am now at the "nupps" portion of my Swallowtail. I've hit many walls while knitting, mostly not paying attention to how much I am knitting and thinking I knit less. After ripping back, I am now at the second chart of nupps, and looking foward to finishing.

Shetland Triangle is next, once I am done with Swallowtail. More info on Swallowtail's progression on my blog.

Done!

2007-09-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

I realise now that I should have posted more pictures of my progress, but the endless spinning seemed so monotonous... and things happened quite quickly when 'The End' was in sight!

Here's the finished shawl:
That's the Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls, in 2-ply alpaca/silk that was my very first handspun project (I started spinning for it at the end of March and finished 600m at the end of June). I originally planned to use it for Jamieson's Diamond Lace Shawl, but worried that the acres of stockinette would show my uneven spinning to perfection. I tried the Flower Basket shawl, but the yarn just wasn't happy with the stitch pattern. I don't know a better way to explain it; the decreases were really bulky and even the stockinette seemed wonky. But it's worked nicely in the lace edging here. Very strange. I've learned such a lot about spinning from knitting this! And about fibre, too. The unblocked shawl was relatively bulky and and elastic, but even gently blocking stretched the inelastic alpaca/silk flat to produce an open fabric with a very elegant drape. Finished size is c. 150cm wide by 79cm deep.

Here's a closer view of it during blocking:
I can see flaws in it. I know where a couple of knitting mistakes can be found if I look hard; I knew the stuff I spun at the beginning was relatively uneven, so WHY didn't I think to start with that so the unevenness was eaten by the garter stitch section? But I still get that "That's too good to be my work!" feeling when I look at it, which won't be for long: it's a birthday gift for my mother. I've started spinning some Crown Mountain Farms superwash for socks for me :-)

One Skein Down

2007-09-04T09:25:00.002-07:00

263 yards done! Merino/ Merino;silk blend plied together. I was going to keep it only the lichen green, but with only 2 ounces, plying it with white merino seemed to be the only way to make it stretch.

Finishing this skein is bittersweet. I'm finished 263 yards..but I have 587 left. I'm not even sure if I'll have enough to finish it. Oh well..back to the fiber store. :D. My real challenge will be to JUST get what I need!

You can go to my blog for my pictures.

Chugging along

2007-09-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'd be done with my Fourth-Generation shawl (spring 07 Spin Off) by now if it wasn't for the fact that I'd have to keep spinning more yarn!

I'll be at least 8oz over the estimated requirement for the shawl. My best guess is that she mentions in the pattern she knit a smaller shawl shown then it is actually written for. I'm happy I have a whole bag of fleece to work with. I don't want to think about what would have happened if I had ordered roving per the specifications!

Back to the wheel- one more big skein should do it!

1/2 of a New Yarn

2007-09-01T15:29:00.001-07:00

While I am still knitting on the Swallowtail shawl, I am also spinning up some silk from The Silkworker. The silk top is called Chocolatier. I am spinning it fine and will double ply for a laceweight.

This top spins up so soft and is super silky. I've never spun a silk so soft and lovely. I will be starting Bobbin #2 this weekend. I have a couple of patterns in mind to knit up with this yarn, but it will all depend on how much yardage I will get from the 2 ounces. As always, more info on the blog.

WOM Update

2007-08-31T11:34:00.001-07:00

Hi, All. Happy Labor Day Weekend. I'm been busier than a one-armed paper hanger. Anyway, I thought I'd flash my progress on the shawl. Sorry about the BAD photos.

This is the second go-around with this shawl. I was about this far and just didn't like one of the design elements of it. So, I ripped it out and have caught back up.

Where the green pin is located is the line I changed the shawl design just a smidge. I really didn't like the 2 YO's on either side of the center stitch line, so I have been just Making one one either side and I like it better. Hope I can work on it this weekend a little more.

the yarn is finished!

2007-08-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

I have 1460 yds of Sports Weight.
Spun on the Roberta Electric Spinner.
Fiber content: Mohair/Alpaca/Wool in random proportions.
It will go to the Wasatch Wool Pack Team exchange for this year. I want a plain cardigan so I can brush the garment and get the fuzz out of the mohair.
More pictures on my blog.
The yarn was abused while washing and spun tight enough so it will not shed.....hopefully!

Yarn spun and dyed!

2007-08-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

I finally finished spinning up my yarn this weekend. It was from a 1 lb. fleece of 50%bluefaced leicester/50% leicester longwool and it is so soft. I have a total of 856 yds which I dyed with onion skins. It turned out the most beautiful shade of burnt orange. The luna moth shawl from elann.com is what I plan to use it for. I'm excited about this as I've spun a lot of handspun in 2 years, but have not used any of it.;)
Jillan

Progress made

2007-08-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in forever, and my work on this project was a bit stagnated. I've finally chosen the fiber and have completed 1/2 of the spinning. I was anxious to see how it would turn out, so the first 1/2 is spun, plyed and has had the twist set. I've got 240 yards of 2 ply, 14WPI yarn from 4 oz. I still have 4 oz left to spin. Colonial wool top from Ashland bay. Haven't taken a picture of the yarn yet, but here's a pic of the roving. I'll be knitting the Clementine Shawlette with this yarn.

Sherie
WhimsyKnits

New Toy!!! Need help...

2007-08-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so I haven't posted in a while. Mostly because the spindle spinning was taking too long for me, and seemed too fussy. I like it, but it's also a pain. Anyway, I have been keeping my eye out and found that a lady about five mins down the road from me had a wheel for sale. So when I got the money for it, I checked, and she still had it. Here it is! It's an Ashford Traditional that's been updated with a three speed flyer. Since I'd never used a wheel before she gave me a good detailed how to, and what's what on the wheel. It's no problem, I've picked up on how to use it. I was having trouble with spinning the practice fiber she gave me (not sure what it was, but it was tough to draft), so I switched to my merino that I'd been using to spindle spin, and in no time was spinning along nice lace weight yarn. All was well till I broke it b/c I accidentally drafted too thin.

So here's the issue. I can't get it to reattach, it just keeps unwinding and pulling off more and more. I figured with so many lace spinners here, maybe someone could give me tips or something? I'm going nuts. Please help!!! :D Oh and as a side note I've switched to the smallest wheel for a higher twist? Is that right? I was told that was better for fine yarns.

Here are the pics, please ignore everything around it, I'm in the middle of reorganizing the whole area.

Back:Flyer:
Front!
I'm seriously in love with this already though, even with the speed bumps, I've spun a good bit on it before that and it's better than I ever imagined!

spinning away

2007-08-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been working on this for a while and still have a ways to go. So far I have about 300 yds spun. The colors are purple, blue, and teal, but the flash washed it out a bit. It's a merino/silk blend and I'm doing a 2-ply. Just wanted to post a progress photo.

Singles Ready!

2007-08-23T15:06:00.001-07:00

The 2nd skein of yarn is now finished to join the first :) I now have 6.8 ounces of yarn, approximately 950 yards with which I plan to cast on for the Wing o the Moth. You can just see the sparkle of angelina fiber in the photo - it's terribly difficult to capture, I'm hoping I manage to capture it in the finished work. The difference you see in the yarns is due to the fact that the smaller skein is spun from a carded batt, while the larger skein was spun from the exact same fibers handblended at the wheel.

Long Overdue..

2007-08-21T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm long overdue for an update post. I finished plying my yarn last month and I should be pleased with it. Unfortunately the inner critic in me won't stop voicing objections. It's not as even as it could be. It's not as soft as it should be.

I finally stopped listening to that terrible voice in my head and started the Flower Basket Shawl. The pleasure of knitting with my own yarn finally silenced the critic within and I can't recall a more joyous lace project.

I'm using size 3US/3.25mm Addi Lace needles and as many of you have found out, they're perfect. As for the yarn, it may not be perfect but it certainly isn't all that shabby either.

Opal
the Akamai Knitter

First Pictures, baby shawl

2007-08-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my shawl (just begun), spun on an old Elizabeth wheel I picked up at a yard sale. The fibery goodness is merino/cashmere/finn, worked up to a lace weight and 2ply. This is still early in my spinning career, so to make life easy, but slightly challenging, I have decided to knit a baby shawl. I am using the Bird’s Nest shawl from the book Knitting Folk Shawls by Cheryl Oberle. Here is the first pattern repeat. Onward and upward. For scale, our five cents (pictured) is a little larger than your nickle. The shawl has been scaled down, I am using 132 stitches, and with the yardage should get a nicely sized baby shawl when completed. (Can you tell I hope one day for grandchildren to wrap in something cloud soft - a new heirloom)

Some Progress on my Shawl

2007-08-20T14:16:00.000-07:00

A Dragonfly

Here is a photo of some of what I have done so far on my shawl. It is a Pi shawl with the theme Bugs in Your Garden. There are more photos on my blog

-Amy

Finished Forest Canopy

2007-08-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

This little project worked up quickly. The roving was from May's selection of the Spunky Club, color Nightshade. I spun it into singles (apx 400 yds fingering weight). The shawl is Forest Canopy by Susan Lawrence and it was a quick and fun shawl which took only a couple of weeks to knit.

You can read more about it on my blog.
Thank you for inspiring me to knit a shawl with my handspun!
Margene

2007-08-11T10:35:00.001-07:00

This is my first post on this blog. This is what I'm going to be spinning for my next lace project. I've not decided which one I'm going to use yet, but I'm spinning them both laceweight on these spindles!

Another yarn done

2007-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I finished this yarn today. I am going to be using it to make a Pi shawl called Bugs in Your Garden. It is a 60/40 Merino-Bamboo blend. All the specs and more photos are on my blog

-Amy

Done Plying

2007-08-09T00:19:00.000-07:00

The alpaca, wool, mohair, and silk is now spun and 2-plied. I ended up with 10 ounces at 1210 yards. More than enough for the Wing of the Moth Shawl. The colors got pretty much muddied up, but there are some patches that have some better color. Just have to knit it up and see how it turns out. It is very soft and a bit fuzzy.

Spider Web Shawl

2007-08-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is my first post to the KAL. I am Amy from Amy's Babies and I have become smitten with laceweight yarn and shawls knit from them. This is just one of at least 3 handspun shawls I have in mind.

This yarn is BFL spun laceweight in the Tulip colorway from Spunky Eclectic. I got over 1300 yards out of this fiber. You can read more about my experaments in laceweight at my blog.

Here is what the fiber is going to become. It is the Spider Web shawl from Victorian Lace Today. I decided I wanted 4 sections for my shawl. It isn't much yet, but it is knitting up so quickly.

Forest Canopy Shawl Spun and Begun

2007-08-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

My first goal was rather ambitious for a fairly new spinner so I have changed my mind and picked an easier, more doable project. I am a member of Amy's Spunky Club and have enjoyed her fiber choices over the last few months. In July the selection was a coopworth wool she called Nightshade. I spun it in a single, my first attempt at singles, and did a fairly god job of it! I predrafted the roving and put only enough twist in to hold it together. The single looked great but needed some 'finishing'. In an effort to see how it would knit up I made a small swatch and was very pleased with the fabric.

The singles sat on the bobbin for a few days and then on the niddy noddy for a few days more in an effort to relax the twist a bit. A friend suggested I steam it while on the niddy noddy so it would relax more quickly and I did just that. You can read a bit about my day of finishing several handspun yarns here. The finished singles were more beautiful than I imagined and I decided the yarn would make a lovely shawl.

The shawl is Susan Lawrence's Forest Canopy. Susan designed it for a beginning lace knitter and while my skills are more intermediate it's a fun and easy shawl to knit. I think it will be beautiful and I'll come back with pictures once I'm finished.

I love the way the colors change in the pattern already!

Margene

Silk Swallowtail

2007-08-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello All:

I started my third-ever shawl made out of my own silk laceweight handspun. I finished this yarn over 2 months ago. I kept it in my stash and pet it as much as I could. But I really wanted to make Swallowtail. Here is the beginning of the pattern. This is only the first chart, and the first repeat of the second chart.

You can read more about this project and yarn on my blog.