Spinning With Maggie Casey

Posted on July 31, 2024 by atangledyarn84

Next up on SSK adventures is a spinning class learning long draw with Maggie Casey. This was my day 1 afternoon class. It was great even in the AC was set to 66 degrees.

I brought my Kiwi 3 to spin on and this class really challenged my skills set. I have only spun short forward draw with a death grip to make worsted spun yarn. Long draw means I have to relax my hands and let the twist get between them. Boy did that feel weird. But I managed to get some woolen spun long draw singles on my wheel.

Maggie is correct that this kind of spinning is really a lot easier on my hands. And it makes a super light woolen spun airy yarn. I need to hold myself accountable to practicing this more now that I am home.

Happy Wednesday!

English Rose In Class

Posted on July 30, 2024 by atangledyarn84

On day two of SSK, I took a morning class on understanding sleeves and sleeve fit from Kim McBrien Evans of Indigo Dragonfly fame.

I had a hat in my bag and being the south….a super crispy cold coca cola. In preparation for the conference, I pulled another skein of malabrigo from my purchase last month and got another stockinette hat on the needles. This one is going to be called the English Rose hat as that is what the colorway is called.

I managed to get the brim finished, turned and started on the hat by the time class was done. I learned a ton about all kinds of sleeves and came out with some measurements and tweaks that I need for my next sweater.

More SSK goodness tomorrow!

SSK Fiber Mini Swap

Posted on July 29, 2024 by atangledyarn84

I’ve been home from Super Summer Knitogether (SSK) for several days now and I have SO MUCH to share. For my own sanity I’m going to break all the goodness into a blog series.

I drove 10 hours to Nashville TN and made registration just in time for opening ceremony and the fiber mini swap. This is where you bring fiber and break into minis and make fiber soup. Then you leave with as many ounces as you came with…..just in chaos style.

The pool was hard to mix and I definitely got some of the same braids but I was very happy with the colors I received. Of course I have zero clue what fiber content is but that is okay. I am just looking forward to this spinning!

FO Friday: Sunflower Hat

Posted on July 26, 2024 by atangledyarn84

The Sunflower Hat is DONE!

Pattern: My own 88 sts “recipe” for a basic knit beanie with folded brim

Needles: US 8s

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in the Hojas colorway

I used 80 grams of the skein and therefore eyeballed myself into using 5 more grams than the last hat. I really should never trust my eyes, lol. In the light of day you can really see the variation in this Malabrigo. I think it adds character!

Now back to the hat knitting and next week I will share some of my favorite parts of the SSK Retreat!

Tossing The Stash 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024 by atangledyarn84

Thanks to the basement flood, I had some wide open and clean floor space. I decided to toss the stash! I happen to be headed to an event where I can rehome my yarn to appreciative new homes.

The kiddos and I worked through all the Sport to bulky bins. We checked everything for bugs, dirt and damp. Then made sure all the items were safely tucked into ziplocks. I had kind of fallen off that practice.

The fingering and lace weight stash was next. This is the bulk of my stash. I got this nicely organized and I really need to make some big shawls or blankets with all these single skeins, lol.

In the end, I cleaned half a large trash bag of donation yarn out of my stash. I was Type A enough to even remove it from my Ravelry account. All my yarn is safely organized and tucked away. I do actually feel lighter!

Happy Stashing!!

Dogs Hate Spinning

Posted on July 23, 2024 by atangledyarn84

I’m trying to work on my spinning for the Summer Spin In and Duke is really not interested in progress. He would prefer that my hands be for head scratches.

And I have managed a few singles on the bobbin of this fiber. It’s a merino/nylon blend from Fondant Fiber. It’s crazy soft and the jewel tones are really shining.

It does feel daunting to look at how much fiber is on the bobbin versus what is in my hand, lol.

Happy Spinning!!

Sunflower Decreases

Posted on July 22, 2024 by atangledyarn84

I held out as long as I can and the Sunflower Beanie has reached its decrease section.

Malabrigo Rios has a reputation for flashing and pooling. This skein definitely held that up. Last night was not great lighting but you can see the large amount of variation that exists in the fabric. I’m not mad at it, it adds character!

I just really enjoy how soft this yarn feels and warm the finished gauge feels. This is hat #5 so I am still making progress to my year end goals. Happy Knitting!!

Let’s Fence

Posted on July 19, 2024 by atangledyarn84

Our patio fence had started to lean last year so we had to pull the two panels and re-cement the post. And it was covered in algae. So we pulled out our power washer and got to work. Okay, I hired a college student to do it.

We still need to reseal the fence with some oil or finish. And then I have BIG plans: outdoor solar lights, hammock time, clean concrete, trimmed trees. Basically an outside oasis for mom since the family has taken over the rest of the house.

Honestly, it feels good to make some progress on long standing house projects!!

Sonic And Sunflowers

Posted on July 18, 2024 by atangledyarn84

It’s busy season at work, a stomach bug has hit our house and summer time kid activities are in full swing. This means LOTS of hydration and windshield time. PB and I ran some errands and then pick up Sonic as a treat. It was happy hour, therefore SUPER busy so I got some stitches in on my Sunflower Beanie.

The beanie brim is done. I really like how fast the folded stockinette brim works up. I am consciously trying to make this hat taller/slouchier. And for the record I got a Route 44 ice water with extra ice (because it’s the good ice) and then a kids lime slush.

Happy Knitting!!

Summer Spin In

Posted on July 17, 2024 by atangledyarn84

The Two Ewes Fiber Adventures Podcast holds a summer spinning contest called the Summer Spin In. I participated last year and won a prize. So I decided to work on another spin this summer

This is also some fiber I bought from a de-stash last year from Jude formally of Stranded Dyeworks. I may see him in an upcoming event so I thought it was meaningful in a lot of ways.

I split this fiber down the middle into two 60 grams balls to spin a 2-ply. I am making progress on making finer and skinnier two-ply so why mess with progress? This merino is VERY soft so I am adding some twist to help with stability and potential pilling.