Category Archives: Spinning

Using handspun…

Project 365 6/13/12 handspun

I’m a new spinner.  As such, the idea of using my hand spun for actual knitting or weaving is a bit daunting.  I want things to look good and not scream “homemade”.  Lumpy, bumpy hand spun… uummmmm.  However, like any stash, spun yarn seems to reproduce itself in the closet and needs using up to maintain any organizational order.

I started with Romi’s Taygete Shawl back on 5/15/12

5/15/12 Project 365 Taygete #3

My hand spun is a wee bit under spun… as in not enough twist in the ply.  This means my Taygete shawl could end up being a little fragile in the long run.  But, it means that I also know more what under spun yarn looks like… just by knitting with it with it.  And, if it starts falling apart I know that my washing machine felts things VERY well.  It can then become fabric that I cut and turn into something else entirely.

Project 365 6/13/12 Taygete #3

The hand spun has some subtle striping both in the body and in the lace.  It draws you in to find all of the delicate color combinations.  What amazed me a bit was realizing that your eye tricks you into smoothing out the yarn visually.  If you were to knit with this yarn, you would see and feel that there is quite a bit of variation from one inch to the next… but you don’t see it when you look at the shawl as a whole.  It’s kind of like pointillism in that regard.  Very cool.

In the beginning I was nervous using the home spun.  There were a lot of hours put into just the spinning and I had no clue if the yardage was sufficient.  But, how beautiful is it stuck in a box somewhere?  And really, why not play with your fiber?  I was very surprised and pleased with the results.  The yarn worked structurally and visually.

If you spin, what did you make with your some of your first hand spun?  Was there anything about the process that surprised you?

An enjoyable interlude with marled yarn…

Miss E playing secretly with my phone camera. Chuckle…

I had an hour block of time today.  For the last two weeks, time has been a bit of a rarity, so I was tickled to bits.

I planned to finish off some fiber I had spun in Judith’s MacKenzie’s amazing colored sock yarn class at CNCH 2012.  I started with 2 small single plies of multicolored fiber that Judith taught us how to prepare in several different ways.

Using a combination of the Andean plying technique + my spinning wheel, I twisted each ply onto itself to create 2 short double ply yarns.  (The hot pink was an outlier on the end of one bobbin, so I snipped it off.  I’m citing artistic license on that one.)

I then took these two double ply yarns and twisted them together yet again to create a 4 ply yarn.

The idea is that you can use some pretty wild colors.  But, blended so thoroughly like this, you can end up with a yarn that’s tame enough for a man’s sock.  (I still think hubby is thanking me for ripping out the hot pink.)

What surprised me is that with all this plying and spinning, I halfway expected a yarn that was pretty stiff.  Not so (assuming I’ve done it correctly).  I’ve found it to be a nice cushy yarn that I would be thrilled to have gracing my delicate size 11′s.  What a lovely way to spend a blustery afternoon.  Happy sigh.

One approach to deciding on a knit project…

5/15/12 Project 365 Strawberries

Somewhere in my very first pound of spinning fiber I spun a lovely little 4 oz. of lime green, sock weight yarn.  It was my first 3 ply yarn and I spun it with a “z” twist to see if I would notice a difference while knitting continental style.  But… it was lime green and only 4 oz. of fiber.  I knew I would either have to knit something small or pair the yarn up with something else.  Lime green meant it lingered.

5/15/12 Project 365 2ply lace wt yarn

Just in the last week, I finished up this lovely turquoise yarn.  It is in an “s” twist and spun as a two ply.  I was thinking as a two ply, it would make a nice lace yarn.  The color is beautiful and the photos do not do it justice.  I was pondering the Haruni shawl, but I was concerned I would not quite have enough yardage.  I decided to risk it and went in search of the pattern in my stash as well as some yarn that could pair up with it if the worst happened.

5/15/12 Project 365 2ply lace yarn closeup

While I was looking for the Haruni pattern in my binder, I ran across another pattern I had already knit up twice already.  What can I say, it’s a great pattern.  It was Romi’s Taygete shawl.  I knit it once in purples as a gift.  I followed that with one made of lovely tans + pale, sky blue.  The second was done up in a couple of sock yarns that had too much bounce to them.  I practically stood on the iron trying to flatten the thing out, to no avail.  (It is in a pile to be “frogged”.  Ribbit, ribbit, rip it).

Then I noticed the colors on the Taygete pattern picture were nearly the same as the two yarns I had sitting right next to it.  Huh!!  I very rarely choose the same colors as what is written in a pattern, but this seemed a little too odd.  It was like my subconscious taking the driver seat.  The decision was made… or it found me… I’m not entirely sure which.

5/15/12 Project 365 Daisy photo

My handspuns are not bouncy sock yarns, just worsted spun merino, so hopefully my curling issue will be a thing of the past.  I’m not sure how the “z” twist, “s” twist and ply variations will play out, but given the structure of the shawl (mostly garter), I think it will be balanced enough not to misbehave.  I may have to use a slightly larger needle for the lace section to compensate for the lighter weight yarn by itself in a larger area, but it should work.  And, I will get to showcase my handspun turquoise yarn in the lace.  Whoohoo!

5/15/12 Project 365 Taygete #3

The project begins.

Why should I spin yarn?

5/9/2012 Project 365 Why spin flower 1

I am a recent convert to spinning after at least a year of abject refusal.  There were a few simple reasons for this.

It’s another fiber hobby, with the accompanying need of yet another set of tools and supplies.

It looks a bit like wrestling an octopus… and not in a friendly way.

It’s slow.  For those of use who usually dive into a new craft like it’s a full body contact sport, it really doesn’t seem like a logical fun step to have to suspend gratification.

5/9/2012 Project 365 flower 2

Cue the martinis; two of them.  Two of them and some gentle persuasion by @cupcakefaerie and friendly encouragement from @cheekyattitude and I was happily taking home a borrowed drop spindle and some fiber just to “try out”.  Not too long after that I was buying my drop spindle from @meshuggeknitter and trying to get my hands on any prepared roving I could from @ilikecake’s destash.

Then @cupcakefaerie let me try out her lovely spinning wheel.  All resistance was gone after that.

5/9/2012 Project 365 flower 3

So yes, it’s another fiber hobby and has another expense.

And yes, it really is like wrestling an octopus at first, until you find this delicious rhythm that is like a balm to the soul after a long day.  More than one curious spectator has remarked on how soothing it looks and sounds.

And yes, it is slower and takes longer to dive into knitting and weaving… but then maybe it’s a bit like “slow food”.  Maybe the sum of some wholesome parts makes for a more satisfying end result.  Part of that sum would be the lovely support from those around me.

Thank you, ladies!

5/9/2012 Project 365 flower 4

(But, I’m not going to prep my own fleece.  Really.  I mean it this time.)

Ready for plying…

I’ve been trying to spin fiber every day for the past week or so.  I’m taking two spinning classes in a couple of weeks at the CNCH Conference in Oakland, CA that involve nicer fibers (cashmere, baby!) and want to be in good form.  So I’m practicing (and getting things off the spinning wheel and bobbins) in preparation for these classes.

For my non-spinning friends, you can see I’ve spun up a single strand (ply) on each of the two bobbins.  The bobbins are sitting on my lazy kate ready to be twisted (re-spun) together into a two-ply yarn.  Whohoo!  I’m hoping there is enough yarn created for a small lace scarf or shawlette.

5/3/12 Project 365 Ready to ply

Back and forth…

I’ve been joyfully going back and forth between two projects this weekend.

Sleeve shaping on my Quercus sweater…

4/22/12 Project 365 Quercus sleeve shaping

Per the pattern, I did some short row shaping where the shoulder area is (much like the heel of a sock).  Very intelligent construction idea!  I really do enjoy smart knitting.

And some spinning when I want to visit hubbie in the back office area…

4/22/12 Project 365 spinning

This is Blue Faced Leicester top in Teal by Lisa from Poppy Flower Fibers (rebranded to Wabi Sabi Yarns).  It’s worsted spun and hopes to be a 2 ply lace wt or light fingering when it grows up.

Hope you and yours had a lovely weekend, too!

An accounting of projects…

3/11/12 Project 365 spinning 2 ply

I was reading online where someone suggested that 5 was the optimal number of projects to have.  (I’d share a link, but I was lost online and can’t find the link anymore.  Story of my life.)  The premise was more than five projects slowed down your progress to the point of frustration and less than five left you without something to do at critical times.  She suggested having different types of projects for different situations… fancy lace for alone thinking, small projects like socks and hats for travel, idiot knitting for social times or tv, etc.

I had been feeling lately that I was doing a lot, but wasn’t finishing much of anything; discontent was creeping in.  I wondered what my actual number was.  Was that driving my irksome feelings?  I also wondered how having multiple crafts might change your number, and not necessarily for the better.  Then there are those crafts you want to do next that weigh on your mind.  I think they count too, since they don’t just fade away.  They keep cropping up in your head over and over.  Should I be thinning my projects?  Do I fit the 5 project mold?  What will I see if I account for what is currently in the works and on my mind?  I took these questions and upended my various project niches in search of whatever I might find.

In the works:

Hand sewing kanzashi flowers for the painting.  I’m dragging my feet on this, but I recognize the need for them on the painting.

Quercus Sweater (worsted/fairly easy)

Spectrum scarf (fingering/fairly easy/fairly small)

Kernel scarf (lace weight/dead silence required)

Spinning 2 ply fingering wt yarn (tv watching easy)

Sewing a zippered bag (some concentration)

Sewing a skirt for me.

Knit kimono sweater (easy, but needs ripping and adjusting)

Re-knitting blown out sock toes.  (easy, just need to do) I’d just patch them, but the true problem is the socks just aren’t long enough.  Try as I might, my hoofers are just not that delicate and small.

On the brain:

Spin some fiber for a friend.

Hand sew kanzashi flowers from plastic bags for giggles and grins.

Take hubbie’s ad laden conference bags and put fancy fabric on them to dress them up and hide the ads.

Recreate the baby sweater for the pattern/sweater found in FIL’s attic.  Maybe from homespun…

Rip out wrap I don’t and won’t use… put yarn into something else.  A blanket?

Embroider a felted black project bag I have.

Weaving with plastic bags.  Coasters?  Table runner?

Weaving a wrap.

Sewing a skirt for my daughter.

Sew and cut fabric class on Craftsy.com.

Weaving straps on the inkle loom for my Mighty Wolf loom.

Another Tunisian crochet blanket (of course).

Another post card abstract drawing with markers.

There are probably a couple of projects on the brain I’ve forgotten in the moment, but overall, this list was not nearly as heinous as I expected.  While I obviously don’t fit the 5 project mold, I don’t really think I could trim down the list… as the brain loop would still kick in.  I would be willing to lay money on the fact that most of my crafty friends have a list closer in size to mine than just “5″.  The list is reasonable, and I’ve already acknowledged to myself what the next steps are for everything listed.  While I wouldn’t change anything, I do find it a little comforting just accounting for what is “so” for me in this moment.

As to the discontent that’s been creeping in… maybe I just need a new project.  (Hehehehe!)

Stash enhancing…

Some folks might look at stash enhancing as a fancy way of saying “buying yarn/paper/fabric/roving”.  I wondered how it could compare to oh, say, hoarding.

I started with the dictionary.  Hoarding is apparently hanging on to a lot of useless stuff.  (I think what is useful to one person is up for debate for another, but let’s just say we agree that yarn is really quite useful.)  A stash is something valuable tucked away in secret or safe keeping.  Enhancing means to improve something.

What I know from my foray into stash enhancing is that it usually:

– is PRETTY (booyaa!)

– reflects my current fiber interests

– gets more specific as time goes on

– gets more upscale

– leans more toward purple

– leans more towards hand dyed or hand crafted or small business

– hubbie would probably add gets more expensive

Stitches West is my big annual trip focused on stash enhancing and the occasional class.  I guard that space on the calendar like a rabid dog.  Poor hubbie got to hear more than once “that’s the Stitches weekend, you cannot…”.  When the big day comes I’m armed with comfy shoes, water, plastic, back up plastic and a map.  My very best friends are the ones willing to go toe to toe with another fiber lover to help me guard some stash I am trying to purchase.  (Thanks meshuggeknitter!!!)  When I see other fiber lovers blissfully smiling while rubbing their newly acquired stash on their faces, I don’t think it’s strange in the least.  I will smile back at them in shared enjoyment.

While I don’t have crazy secret places for my yarn, it is safely put away and it does seem to invade increasingly more closet real estate.  (There are some creative ways to hide yarn that I know of, just in case.  A girl has to be prepared.)  I now officially have enough stash that I no longer panic at the thought of gifting some of it to someone else.  I’ve also decided the stash is big enough and nice enough now to warrant tracking in case the worst happens and the house burns down.  (Gotta protect that stash!)

2/27/12 Project 365 stash enhancing

Starting in the 1 o’clock position and moving around clockwise…  1 lb black merino roving I nearly had to arm wrestle for, a sweater’s worth of Miss Babs Yowza, rainbow lace weight yarn, redish purple cashmere/silk yarn, 2 small skeins of 20/2 purple silk for weaving, mixed roving in an autumn colorway to be spun into yarn, deep purple qiviut yarn, extended Tunisian crochet needle for making afghans, and mesh project bags from Namaste.  Not pictured is a hand crafted backpack for my spinning wheel.  What lovely new additions!!!

Yes, it’s special (to me).  Yes, it’s now safely put away.  And, yes, it’s stash enhancing because my stash as a whole looks a whole lot better with these new additions.