Tag Archives: cashmere

Gal’s Gifts

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I firmly hold that one’s “gals” give the best gifts. I had the good fortune to bond very deeply with a work colleague who moved on to another City. And we developed quite the group chat with one of her new coworkers because we missed hanging out. We all three enjoy crafty things and each other’s senses of humor.

This lovely box was delivered to me from those two gals. Without asking they know exactly what to gift me.

This box contained many yummy chocolates and two full sock sets from Amber Waves of Fiber. The color is called “Santa’s Workshop” and the content is 80% merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon. I have enough yarn for a large shawl or multiple socks. I need to meditate on what this yarn wants to grow up to be.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished Cashmere

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My cashmere skein is completely dry and all measured up! This is my softest and finest spin yet. I am beyond happy with this one.

After finishing I ended up with 223 yards weighing 112 grams. This makes this skein DK in most spots with other sections more of a light worsted. I can tell my plying was tighter on this skein than any of my previous 2-plys. With this having cashmere content I put extra twist in it in order to reduce piling in its future knitted state.

I don’t have any projects in mind yet. I think I’m going to let this one marinate in the handspun stash for a minute. Happy spinning!!

Wash and Drying

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I managed to finish spinning the singles for my merino/cashmere singles this past week after I got back from my travel. I wound the singles into a cake so that I could ply from the inside and outside. IT…WAS….A….MESS!! I neglected to understand how badly the singles would get tangled. I had to break and and untangle my singles many times. But in the end, I made a skein!

The skein had a little over twist from plying as it didn’t hang completely straight off the plying bobbin. But I had confidence that a bath would fix it right up!

And I was right, a bath and a whack had this skein nicely balanced. Since it is 90+ degrees in Kansas now I set this skein outside in the sun to dry. And boy howdy, it dried in four hours! I need to take the time to weigh and measure this skein to find out what kind of yarn I made.

This finished yarn is SUPER soft and might the thinnest spinning I have made to date. I can’t wait to see what this measure out to be! I really feel the need to find a project to fit this spectacularly yarn….

Happy Spinning!!

It’s CASHMERE!

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My spinning of that farm/rustic lamb roving didn’t last. I just couldn’t find the drive to work with it. And some merino/silk/cashmere from Hipstrings may have show up in my mailbox this week, so the lamb got pulled off my wheel and this heavenly cloud is on!

I have never spun anything this soft or delicious. It’s a joy to work with. I only have four ounces to work with so I will fill a single bobbin. I hope then to be able to wind those single into a center pull ball to ply with.

Happy Spinning!!

A Second Sand Castle Sock

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After all the fiddly toy knitting and seaming last week I wanted to get back into my plain old relaxing sock knitting. So I picked up my Sand Castle Cashmere Socks over the weekend.

I have the second sock to a place where I am ready to start the second heel. I made sure not to over run or over knit this time. No tinking back! This has been my evening knitting project here lately so it is getting most of my knitting time. Maybe I’ll have finished socks soon?

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For A Sandy Cuff

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I powered through some knitting this week and finished the heel turn, the leg and calf increases for my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. Added a little gratuitous Christmas decoration that I haven’t had the energy to take down yet.

I flew by the seat of my pants on this one. I just knit up the leg and eyeballed installing the calf increases. I added four or six extra stitches over top half the leg. Maybe not the most scientific and will undoubtedly be super hard to recreate on the second sock. But that is future Rachelle’s problem

Happy Knitting!!

Ready For The Heel

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I blinked over the weekend and realized I had knit 6 rows past where the heel on my Sand Castle Cashmere Vanilla Socks. I slipped a progress keeper in where I need to tink back to.

I am really enjoying this yarn and project. The cashmere content in the yarn just feels so decadent. And I never seem to tire of vanilla knitting in the round. Up next is to count my stitches and start working the heel turn.

For my toe up socks I used the Wendy Knits pattern for toe up gusset heel socks. Her instructions are clear and happen to match the stitch count I use for my feet. Works every time and the fit is good.

Happy Knitting!!

FO Friday: Mini Solutions Scarf

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I have a finished thing!! My mini solutions scarf is in the books! On Monday this week I managed to tuck in all my ends and give this lovely a bath. I have a literally worn this every day since I finished blocking this.

Pattern: Mini Solutions Scarf by Kelene Kinnersly

Yarn: Treasure Goddess Yarn Super Toes Cashmere MCN gradient set in Blackbeard’s Revenge and lolodidit Everyday Sock in Naked Hippo

Needles: US 7

Mods: None

This puppy turned out LONG. I used roughly 515 yards of fingering weight yarn and this project is longer than my wingspan. I couldn’t be bothered to actually measure this because I couldn’t make myself take it off! This skinny shawl (aka scarf) wraps really nicely around my neck for warmth with good tails hanging down. It is very narrow in depth (maybe 10 or 11 inches) but that is fine by be. The cashmere content makes this next to skin heaven. And the color changes made this a complete and utter potato chip knitting. As is evident by all my blog posts, I was kinda obsessed with this project.

This pattern is definitely one I will do again. I can see this being a great gift knitting pattern. Soothing and squishy garter stitch but with just enough change to keep me going. And this kind of scarf is very wearable.

Happy Knitting!!

I Found The Sixth Color

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It took some serious brain effort and I tossed my whole stash (via Ravelry) to find my options of white and grey yarn. My Mini Solutions Scarf needs a sixth color and I’m determined! I finally stumbled upon my Naked Hippo mini skein from Lolodidit. I had planned this for heels/toes/cuffs on socks but it’s a relatively solid grey and very very close to my last gradient color. Now it’s shawl yarn!

It was the best option I had without buying new yarn so I just went with it. I’ve gotten it attached and working up. It’s very subtlety different from the adjacent color but not to shabby.

I did have to work this addition of the sixth color twice because in my haste I added the last color without adding the eyelet row. Doh! I painstakingly tinked back to the fifth color and re-knit the eyelet row. Darn near perfect now! I just need to work up this color for a bit and then do the bind off and I’ll sitting pretty with a new scarf!!

Happy Knitting!!

I Heart Gradients

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You guys, I’m addicted to this gradient. I finished up the first color of my Mini Solutions Scarf on Tuesday and added in the second color. The color change rows are just genius and make the perfect transitions where it’s perfectly half and half for the yarn overs.

The gradient set is very well done and the color shift is subtle but yet still noticeable. And the cashmere content makes my fingers happy. The pattern is in my brain and only once in awhile do I make a mistake. But garter stitch is very forgiving in that way.

I really should be giving my Charlotte Winter, bright socks or dad’s socks some love. But I can’t put this scarf/shawl thing down. It’s calling MY NAME!

Happy Knitting!!