I traveled to see my GG for her 90th birthday. I pulled out my hibernating Chromatic Yarns ZigZag Blanket. It was great car knitting. The pattern is getting easier but with 300+ stitches it takes me over an hour to work the pattern and return row.
I think I am about halfway through the first skein of this DK yarn. This blanket will be a fade of my hoard of Chromatic Yarns DK stash. I love her speckles and color sense. I just need like 1,000 hours to get all these stitches done!
Happy Knitting!!
I found out recently that a dear colleague is retiring. She is fellow crafter and knitter. Her primary hobbies are glass, wood burning and knitting. I decided to make her some handspun as a retirement present.
I have 4 ounces of Polworth from Three Waters Farms. Its CRAZY soft and I’m really keen to see how it feels spun up. Going with my standard let my hands just spin and make a 2 ply.
I have REALLY been enjoying spinning in front of the fire lately. It’s warm, cozy and quiets my brain at the end of the day. I even catch my kiddos watching the wheel instead of the fire some days.
Happy Spinning!!
My plying session this week was super fruitful! I finished my second skein of sparkly alpaca 2-ply.
This was 5 ounces of fiber that ended up turning into a 144 yard skein with 138 grams total weight. It worked out to a light worsted/heavy sport type skein. And the best news ever is that it is pretty darn close to the original skein so they should work together nicely!
I already have new fiber on the wheel and I will show you the awesomeness that this Targhee wool is doing! Happy spinning!!
My dad surprised me this last week. He caught me after a weekend visit with a shipping bag. He admitted that some of my Christmas didn’t ship in time and it had arrived in February. He was a little embarrassed but I was excited!
This was 4 ounces of Rambouillet in the “Shiver” colorway and 4 ounces of a 70%/30% merino/nylon sock blend. The sock blend are little bits and bobs of mixed colors. I think I would break each nest into half or thirds and try to make matching singles.
I have a finished skein to show you tomorrow and now fiber already on the wheel that I will show next week. So for now, this fiber will need to wait its turn. But I am always happy for surprise fiber and adorable dads.
Happy Stashing!!
PB may be close to ending her gymnastics journey so I’m cherishing the last few sessions of knitting in peace. This week I focused on starting my 2020 Chromatic Yarns advent mini #6. I managed to crank out the first sock and start the second before we had to hustle out the door.
I am using an Erin Lane bag from her Hank does the Olympics line. It’s purple and makes Jellybean smile so this bag is a regular in my rotation. I need to possibly look for more size 1 US needles as these metal JoAnn needles are getting bent under my tension.
I am also holding PB’s hair tie on my finger because while PB likes pony tails, they only last 20 minutes tops, lol. Happy Knitting!!
Happy Valentines day!! I added some self care this morning while the household was still sleeping. I made some strong coffee and started the second toe for my Punch Bug Vanilla Socks.
I am almost done with the first tube and I wanted the second toe to be ready for when the circular needle is empty. I managed 4 rows before PB bounced down the hall and asked for breakfast. Such is mom life!
Happy Knitting!!
I decided to ply my second go at this black and shiny Alpaca fiber. I teed up my lazy Kate and a huge ole mug of water.
The plying went beautifully and I think I even managed to spin this yarn somewhat close to the first skein! The sparkle is truly what gets me. It’s just so shiny but the skein isn’t scratchy.
The kiddos absconded with my fiber wash and bucket. So once I track that down I will get this skein washed and whacked. I’m hoping for close to 150 yards with a stretch goal of 175 yards. This will mean the two skeins together can make a substantial project!
Happy Spinning!!
The Super Bowl is upon us and the Kansas City Chiefs squeaked into the title match. This black fiber is brought to you by the AFC Championship game that was a nail bitter. Too keep my blood pressure under control, I just kept focused on the spinning. By the end I blew through all five ounces!
The fire didn’t hurt either!
Now I have to decide if this will get plied before or after the big game! Happy Friday and Happy Spinning!!
She’s lumpy and nubbly and she’s all mine, lol. I am now calling this my Rustic 2-ply as it’s full of “character”!
After washing and drying I measured this skein out. The wraps per inch are ALL over the place but they mostly averaged out to worsted weight. The finished skein is 148 grams and 173 yards. It’s VERY pink and there are some spots where the fiber is not spun at all.
This is the kind of skein where it would be perfect for weaving with to show off that texture. Weaving is a fiber craft I had not dipped into. I may tuck this skein of yarn into the stash to wait for that day.
Happy Spinning!!
I was so enamored with the sparkly black alpaca that I reached out to the farm to see if they had any of that fiber left after the festival. They did and dispatched the 5 ounces they had after a quick PayPal transaction. It’s SO FLUFFY
I plan to spin this very much like the first lot of fiber. I will split into two halves and 2-ply the singles together. The farm, Grey Meadow Alpacas, added a little treat for me in the package. This little adorable felt alpaca has come to live at my house!
Happy Spinning!!
Michele plays with yarn, food, and music in Portland
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