Addicted to Spinning

The Ravelympics took a lot out of me. I not only knit my first sweater, but also a heavily cabled hat, a pair of man-sized socks, and my first laceweight & beaded wrap...all in 17 days! Since then, I finished up a couple of outstanding WIPs (works in progress) and found I was not really motivated to start anything in my queue.

What to do??? Get back on the wheel, of course...the spinning wheel.

So I have finally finished spinning my first singles (single ply yarns) on my spinning wheel. And last night I tried something new...I Navajo plied one of them. Here are some pics.

Roving that I dyed with Easter egg dyes last year (superwash merino).


After plying and skeining on the niddy noddy.


A close-up


I still have the other half to ply...but that can wait till tonight :)LOL

Selfish Knitting & Ravelympics

Wow! It's been AGES since I wrote something here. At least I can be rest assured that there aren't throngs of people who have been chomping at the bit to know what I've been up to :)LOL

Anyway...since we last met our "hero"
(term used EXTREMELY lightly :)

I've started dyeing with professional acid dyes and had great response in my etsy shop.


I got a spinning wheel...a used Ashford Traveller, single drive, single treadle.


We had another handmade Christmas this year...which meant I was knitting for other people for MONTHS.


And now I finally have knitted something for ME...my first sweater! To top it off, I "competed" in the 2nd Ravelympics and have received my first "medal" for finishing my sweater.


I mentioned to dh last night that my wrists needed a break so I wasn't ready to start my second Ravelympics project yet. He said, "I guess knitting isn't an endurance event." I said, "Yes it is...but I was sprinting." I knit my sweater in 8 days! If you don't knit, trust me...that's fast :)LOL


Pattern: Amused by Jordana Paige (with mods to collar & for cardigan)
Yarn: 6.5 skeins of Cascade 220 in "dark plum"
More notes on my Raverly project page.
I ♥ Ravelry

Homespun Goodness

I finally plied my singles for the sock monkeys I want to make for the kiddos. I was able to meet up with my spinning buddy on Monday night to use her wheel.

I started with my first wheel spun single: 2 oz of white corridale


And plied it with two 2oz singles of gray BFL/Corrie X that I spun on my kick spindle.



Here are the results:


Both skeins came out to be 68 yds! Don't know how I managed that! The first one has a few spots where the ply twist is underspun but we were having some trouble with friction in the wheel. The second skein is much more even. Over all I am VERY HAPPY with the results.

I even have some of the corriedale left over. It's from the inner bobbin and was some of the first stuff I spun on the wheel (back in October) when I had the tension set too high...boy is that some ENERGETIC yarn!! :)LOL

The "Spin In"

I went to a "Spin In" a few weeks ago (Oct 18th), held by the Bishop Hill Fiber Guild. I carpooled with my new "fiber friend," Heidi (who I met at our local famer's market).

She brought her wheel along

An Ashford Traveler.

So I could participate in the "Beginning Wheel Spinning" Workshop.
After ~1hr I had this much done


I also attended the "Sheep Breeds & Wool Uses" Workshop...loads of great info.


Of course, I made a couple purchases from Black Socks Sheep & Wool.
Two oz black CVM Lamb roving from "Emily"...I think.


And some of the first batch of yarn they had spun...
Five oz of aran wt taupe-colored CVM from "Sparrow"


Fast forward...I was able to go over to Heidi's to keep spinning the white corriedale & got ~ halfway thru the 2 oz.

Fast forward again to yesterday...I met up with Heidi at a craft show she was selling at & spun for almost another 3 hrs to FINALLY finish the 2oz.

DD watching me spin



It now looks like this...and took a total of about 7 hrs to spin.


It is REALLY fine. I think it's average fingering to lace weight...when plied...YIKES!
I'm spinning 4oz of worsted-aran weight gray on my kick spindle to ply with it....gotta find the time tho...