Tag Archives: handspun

I Couldn’t Help Myself

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A few special people in my life are expecting babies in the new year. So I couldn’t let those babies have cold heads!!

This yarn is some Super Bulky spindle spun handspun from 2020. I decided they needed to be baby beanies. I pulled out some size 10 dpns and just invented hats on the fly. I used up every single inch of precious handspun and came out with two cute hats.

PB loaned me a baby doll so I could take glamor shots. I still need to wash them and get them wrapped up. But that is for another day!

Happy Knitting!!

Friday Spinning Win

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I managed to snag some free time over the weekend to wash up and dry my latest hanspun. I came out with two really nice skeins!!

On the left is my unknown merino/alpaca 2-ply that came out black/dark grey with white tweedy bits. This skein had about 7 wraps per inch equating to a bulky yarn. I managed to get a 112 gram skein with 159 yards. So I really should be able to make something with this one!

And on the right is a skein that delighted me to no end. I had 4.1 ounces of all BFL roving in a natural/tan color. This spun a lot finer for me than previous attempts. So this two ply came out to more like 9 wraps per inch and close to a worsted. This is my finest spinning yet. The finished skein was 114 grams and 251 yards. That is pretty darn close to commercial yarn stats!!

I think that BFL skein will need to be my next Musselburgh hat…..

Happy Spinning!!

More Skeins Ready For A Bath

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As predicted my mystery tweedy alpaca singles very quickly passed through my wheel. And while those singles were resting I managed to get a whole other fiber bat spun up.

I ignored my household chores of laundry and dishes to spend a whole glorious evening plying my singles and watching Vlogmas videos from my favorite knitters. I ended up with these two pretty skeins.

They don’t hang completely straight and have a small amount of twist which means I might have overplied them. But that should wash out when I soak and whack these skeins. But now I need to catch up the laundry and washing line so I have room to wash and dry yarn!

Happy spinning!!

Spinning Mystery Fiber

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After emptying my wheel this week I decided to start my next set of singles. I am still working through the inherited fiber I received when I decided to start spinning. This is some mystery alpaca fiber that appears to contain white tweed blips.

This fiber is spinning pretty quickly and fairly consistently. I can tell my muscle memory is getting better as I am better able to look up from my hands for short periods now. Which really helps me pay better attention to my TV shows, lol.

I only have 4 ounces of this fiber so I see this project going very quickly. I think I will play to 2-ply this yarn back on itself again. I really like the yarn I am getting from this method. And I might be amazing enough 2-ply alpaca skeins that I could make larger project!

Happy Spinning!!

Knitting With Handspun

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A wise spinner told me that I shouldn’t wait to start knitting with my handspun. I should reap the benefits of my new found skill so matter how “good” I think my yarn is or isn’t. So I grabbed my recently finished teal skein and set to making a hat.

I cast on 72 stitches using a US 8 needles and started ribbing. I don’t have a plan or a pattern. I am just winging it and monitoring how much yarn I am using so that I leave enough for the crown decreases.

So far it is really neat seeing what the yarn is doing with the thick and thin bits. I can really see how that plays out in the stockinette section. I am pretty certain I will keep this hat in my hat collections because it is just too special.

Happy Knitting!!

Finished: Alpaca Blend 2-ply

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My spinning mojo is still chugging right along. I finished up the alpaca blend singles I had on the wheel. I did a pretty simple process of spinning a bobbin of singles and then wound into a center pull cake. I then plied by pulling from both the inside and outside of the cake. A wash and whack after that and I have a VERY soft finishd skein of yarn!

Skein: Merino/Alpaca 2-ply (Rav Link)

Size: I ended up with an 83 gram skein of 128 yards. So this is a bulky skein for the most part.

What will I do with this one? I have zero clue, lol. I am just starting a handspun section of my yarn stash to hoard all my treasures!

Happy Spinning!!

Beautiful BFL Skeins

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My finished Fusion hand spun is all skeined and measured up! I was finally able to dig out my yardage counter and other spinning tools. They had migrated to the bottom of my fiber stash box.

First up, on the left, is the chain plied 3-ply. This came out to roughly 18 grams and 11 yards. So definitely a super bulky! I think I got 5 wraps per inch depending on where in the skein I measured. Next up, on the right, is the 2 ply. This one came out to 6 wraps per inch and there were 90 grams over 73 yards. So I think this one is more of a bulky weight.

I am pleased as punch with both and they have landed in the special “golden egg” portion of my stash for now. My brain is now planning my next spin!

Happy Spinning!!

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!!

Let’s Spin Some Purple

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I couldn’t let my wheel sit with no fiber on it after my spinning lessons now could I? So I grabbed the purple roving I purchased and set off.

This roving is a merino, bamboo and nylon blend. My teacher told me that spinners should never be intimidated by any fiber. Anything can be spun by any spinner, it just may take some extra time and adjustments. So I am going to be fearless (maybe clueless) and take off!

Wish me luck! Happy Spinning!!

All The Tequila Sunrise Singles

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The spring sunshine and warmer temperatures has brought my family outside more. I have been making myself bring my spindle spinning outside to finish off my Tequila Sunrise Singles.

Turns out when you work on something, it gets done! I have managed to spin up ALL the pink singles. You can tell that this braid of fiber had more pink than yellow or orange. I’m okay with that. I really really want to try and chain ply this yarn. This will truly push my spinning skills. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This started as 4 ounces of Corriedale roving from BlueBerryChick etsy shop. It was from the Down Cellar Studio’s 2020 Splash Pad Party KAL. Feels good to get this fiber worked up before the next one starts, lol.

Happy Spinning!