Note on yarn weights

I have noticed over and over that people especially newer spinners seem to think that shawls are knit only with lace weight. This is far from true. Many patterns are made for other weights of yarn. My favorite shawl is actually is a big hug of comfort made in handspun worsted weight yarn.

Many of the prettiest lace designs are designed with fingering weight yarn or heavier weight yarns in mind. Fiber Trends is well know for having patterns that list a number of yarn sizes for their lace shawl patterns. Many Sivia Harding designs are made for fingering or sport weight yarns. So spin a yarn you like and are comfortable spinning then go looking for a pattern.

Just a sampling of some lovely patterns on the web using other then lace weight yarns. The Bell Shawl is designed for sport weight yarn. The Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl was originally knit in a mix of DK yarns. Lion Brand has a beautiful triangle lace shawl that is done in Homespun which is a bulky thick and thin yarn! For those that can see it here is the Lion Brand link Homespun Diamond Shawl.

The moral here is whatever weight you can spin and whether it is thick and thin or smooth there is a shawl pattern out there that can show it off.

Newbie question

Hi there
I have not knit lace before and I am a newbie spinner.
I have finished spinning one batt of my Shetland and am trying to figure something out.
Can I knit with my singles?? I know that you can, but in some cases the yarn will twist creating a visible line--but I don't' think I can spin it thin enough to create a 2 ply laceweight yarn.

Thoughts??

Batts for Shawl

Here are the batts that I carded up for the shawl. I'm going to lay each the three colors on top of each other and pull into roving. I hope to maintain some seperation of the colors. We'll see how it turns out. Wish me luck!

Black and silver/brown alpaca
Tussah silk and grey Coopworth

Brown Cotswold and red Kid-Mohair

Pattern Chosen

I finally chose the pattern that I'm going to use. It is the Barbara Shawl. I have 600 yards of 2-ply fingering weight yarn, spun out of cormo in shades of green and yellow. I have the first repeat done and working on the second one. I love the way it it turning out.

Gorgeous Stuff

Man, there have been so many beautiful things posted on here, that I just can't keep up with the comments. You guys are doing some magnificent things. All I can say is: WOW!

Legends of the Shetland Seas (Hazel Carter Stole)

Here is the first pattern repeat for "Legends of the Shetland Seas" since I was waiting to see if I would have to be on Jury Duty today. Knit on US 2 needles. The colors change nicely for me but when I get to do the edging, I'm going to spin a little extra yarn without any big color shifts since I think that will look nicer in the long run. This will take awhile since I'm knitting multiple shawls/stoles and rotate them but at least I've made a start!

Mission Control, We Have Yarn

I have plied one strand of Lisa Souza merino and one strand of Lisa Souza BFL to make this yarn. Spun 36 WPI on both my Schacht and my sisters Majacraft Rose. I did not bother to put this into a skein. I just wound it from the bobbin onto a ballwinder with a toilet paper roll in the center that had be cut down and taped so it would remain as the center of this ball. That way, if there is some over-twist it won't kink up in the middle while I use it. I don't have a lot of over twist and what there is will block out when I go to knit the shawl. If I leave it wound in this form long enough, it will block on it's own actually. Will post soon once I get a little on the needles. I will be making "Legends of the Shetland Seas" by Hazel Carter on US 2 needles. I will be posting my progress on this stole here and on my own blog. For those who were asking about what missalicefaye would be knitting with that green yarn I spun, she is swatching for something out of Victorian Lace Today and will post it later on her blog.

Finished

I finished knitting last night, and blocked this morning....


I will definitely stick around and after a break I'd like to do another shawl, for me next time maybe, and a lot slower paced! All the details for this are on my blog. I look forward to seeing others progress and getting inspired for my next one!

-Lucy

Blue scarf

I've finished the first border on the blue scarf in Victorian Lace Today. The first repeat went nicely, the second not so well (I've been calling it the Bourdain curse as the errors occurred whenever I was watching Anthony Bourdain on tv) and the third went "swimmingly," as a friend of mine used to say.

The yarn was spun on my St. Helens spindle (Cascade) and plied on my Rio Grande Wheel. More on my blog, merrypurl.com.

Finally a post about me. My name is Gemma, I have been spinning for approximately four months, but I was able to purchase a spinning wheel second hand, and so have been having some fun for a while. This rainforest wool is the fourth bundle of roving I have spun, and I get more consistent with each new project, so hopefully the next lot (which is caramel coloured merino/camel) will be suitable for a lacy shawl. But to show how far I have come so far, here is the hardware and the finished software, but still a little coarse for a shawl.
I got 18 wpi for this spinning, and I am almost embarrassed to admit it, as you all spin so beautifully and so much more finely.... this is quite a learning curve for me, and I will just have to see where it takes me.

Cheers from Australia