Author Archives: atangledyarn84

Starting and Finishing Teal Singles

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I’ve had a steal spinning project on my wheel ever since I finished my purple singles. I had second 4 oz bag of merino blend roving from The Shepherd’s Mill where I took my lessons, this time in teal with rainbow flecks.

I admit I struggled in the very beginning with this fiber. I was trying to spin WAY to thin for my skill level so I was breaking every couple of minutes. Once I calmed down and consciously spun thicker then I really started cooking with gas.

Over the course of the past couple of week I managed to get all four ounces on one bobbin. I will likely ply this yarn with another single but it hasn’t told me what it wants to be when it grows up. So I am going to let it rest and start another batch of singles. I think I might be hooked!

Happy Spinning!

A SAFF Erin Lane Bags Bonus

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Erin Lane Bags wasn’t able to attend SAFF due to unforeseen COVID complications so they had a massive online sale to vend all the items they had created for the yarn show. I saw an advertisement on social media and pounced on the chance to get some Larry themed items.

I snagged a blue skein cover. I am increasingly finding these useful since I like to use my cakes from the middle. The covers keep the cake from getting all sloppy as it collapses. Next up was an extra small purple sock sack with Olympic Larry. And finally a regular sock sack with even more Olympic Larry.

Did I need more project bags? No I did not but they make me happy and my dollars went to support a small business during a challenging time. So now I just need to decide what to put in these bags…..

Happy Knitting!!

Spinning Class Sample

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Based on a suggestion from my spinning teacher I wound off my singles from class into a center pull ball. With the ultimate idea of plying them back on to themselves to create a finished yarn

Took a minute but I got it wound and then since my wheel was empty after finishing my purple singles I decided to ply before adding new fiber on my wheel. I used my Ashford Kiwi 3 and made sure to ply in the OPPOSITE direction that I spun. And I got a pretty respectable bobbin filled!

Now I just need to recover enough energy from Halloween crash to wash and finish this skein to see what kind of yarn I ended up with!

Happy Spinning!!

All The Purple Singles

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Huzzah! I have been try to dedicate some of my precious free time to my spinning wheel. And that has paid off as I have finished the 4 ounces of merino blend that I was spinning.

All four ounces fit on one bobbin and I managed to get some fairly thin parts. Don’t get me wrong it has the normal newbie amount of thick and thin parts. I have big fluffy sections and some sections that could function as thread.

I’m going to let these rest and spin another bit of fiber before I decide what to do with them. They are inconsistent enough that they need plied either back with themselves or with another single. But I need time to ponder that!

Happy Spinning!!

So Close Yet So Far

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I was feeling so accomplished this week. I finished the first of my Dad’s 2021 Christmas Socks! I was excited as I had to rip back my first attempt to take out like two inches of extra foot.

And then I had the hubby try it on because he has the same sized feet as my Dad. And holy knitting karma…..they were still long!! And not by a little but a full inch and a half. So I had to cuss under my breath and rip them back again. I did put in a stitch marker where the heel should start while they were on my hubby’s feet.

Thanks to a 7 year old drop off outdoor birthday party, I managed to walk for 50 minutes and re-finish the heel turn. So I am back to a mostly done sock and just need to finish the leg and cuff. The silver lining is that Regia stands up beautifully to knitting and frogging. That also means they should wear well.

I did cast on the toe of the second sock and its on holders until I re-finish this sock. I’m still on track to finish before Christmas. It would just be nice to not have so many “karmic” lessons in this so-called zen knitting, lol.

Happy Knitting!!

Easy Crochet Blanket (Minimal) Progress

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I’m in the mood to empty some yarn bins and use up some yarn that has been patiently waiting its turn. And my favorite way to use up yarn and still create a usable object? Break out the crochet hook and hold yarn double!

Awhile back I had cast on in a fit of productivity all my Caron Simply Soft single skeins into a washing machine friendly crochet blanket. I am still only in the first skein but I’m pretty happy with the fabric I’m getting. I am doing my version of a half double crochet border and then I’m going to pop in some decorative eyelets.

Right now I still need to look at my crochet as I work so I can’t watch super suspenseful TV shows. This is great podcast crafting! I have set an internal goal of finishing this by Thanksgiving to get my stash worked down.

Happy Crochet!

Egg Yolk Yellow

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My Garter Rainbow wrap is swimming along and I’m officially past halfway! My current color is this very vibrant egg yolk yellow that just feels so happy.

I did pretty well in the green sections and didn’t split my yarns. But man, that light yellow section kicked my rear. The husband and I were binging Ted Lasso and I made SO MANY mistakes. All of last evening I spent my entire knitting time laddering stitches down and back up to correct the missed stitches.

Note to self, don’t knit yarns held double while distracted!

Happy Knitting!!

Sock Recovery

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I have recovered from my sock mistake. My Dad’s 2021 Socks are back on track and I managed to get the heel turned.

I snuck my sock out yesterday morning before work while I sipped some coffee. It was only 5 minutes but it was a glorious 5 minutes. And I only have a tiny ball left to finish off this sock. I thought ahead and split my skein in half so that I can try to avoid yarn chicken. And you know, have to socks roughly the same size!

Happy Knitting!!

Spinning Outside

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Fall is in full swing and we have had our first frost. The kids are LOVING the temperatures and have been spending every minute we can outside. So this weekend I lugged my wheel out to the patio and spun while my kids played.

I am still spinning the 4 ounces of merino blend in the purple color from The Shepherd’s Mill. I am still very much learning. I break my singles A LOT and have to rethread. I am also spinning very thick and thin but for the most part I am getting a single spun that holds together. I am about 4 hours in to this spin.

Giving myself permission to go slow, make mistakes and just learn along the way. Haven’t quite got to the “zen” spinning but my fingers get a little less stressed as I go.

Happy Spinning!!

I Should Pay More Attention

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My mom brain and my knitting brain had a fight this week. I was happily knitting away on the foot of my Dad’s 2021 Christmas Socks and was following my recipe. But my knitting brain kept saying “that’s awfully long and it looks too big” but my mom brain kept measuring it and it was the correct number. Ya’ll gauge matters….

I snuck around and found an old sock that I know fits my dad to compare to my WIP. Sure enough the sock was easily 1-1.5 inches too long. Womp womp.

The good news is that I have frogged it back to where I need to start the gusset heel. I didn’t have the fortitude to actually start the heel as I was a little mad at myself. But the silver lining is that I caught it before I finished the sock and I will end up with a functional pair of socks.

Happy Knitting!!