I spun this 2 ply out of rambouillet blended with baby suri alpaca on hand cards. It turned out so soft it doesn’t even feel like wool!
Also the colour is lovely – chocolate and tan with a bit of a shine! It has a really rich look and I love it.
I’m working on a pair of gloves for winter…I’ll keep you updated 🙂
Have a great day!
If you might be interested in purchasing my handspun yarn, please visit handspunyarn.wordpress.com
Ok, I admit it, I just might have a BIT of an issue with sticking to one thing, lol. It’s like some kind of ‘ooooooh shiny, soooooo pretty’ disease. I have so many projects on the go that it’s truly ridiculous.
There is the sweater I am knitting out of handspun light fingering weight yarns, in stripes. The white is cormo/merino hand combed and blended with very fine alpaca, two ply. The coloured yarn is a hand carded silk/wool blend, 2 ply.
The yarn I really did finish (yay, one for me, save the part where there are half a bobbin of singles waiting to be plied into yarn, should I get around to finishing the other ply), created from hand processed, hand combed cormo/fdt fleece from mmfwool….
So far I have two skeins of this, around 700 metres, I’d guess. And I would be guessing, lol, since I have yet to count the strands 🙂
The ‘ooh shiny’ which I just started yesterday. Days off work are fantastic!
Hand dyed silk, cormo/merino fleece and super-soft-camel fluff…it is divine….
And, certainly not last, simply last for today – some super soft gloves I’m working on, created with handspun angora bunny/hand dyed silk blended yarn.
Thankfully winter is a few months away!
I’d love to say ‘good morning’ but it’s afternoon, evening really… so happy day, my friends 🙂
I’ve been keeping busy with work and fabulous fiber. I managed to ply the red yarn and it came out to 380 meters of lovely lace or light weight fingering, I’d say. I like my socks on the thin side, comfy and perfect for normal wear in normal shoes. I’ll most likely put it in my shop but perhaps not for long, depending on how long I can resist it…
I’ve also spent some time working with the beautiful cormo/fdt cross fleece purchased from mmfwool on ebay…
It’s taking two washes to get the lanolin out, or mostly out, as the case may be. Really lovely fleece with a variety of greys in it starting with the lightest pearl gray and going to almost black in places! It combs as nicely as I suspected it would, too. Take a peek at this bit of hand pulled roving…
It’s SO very satisfying, turning a raw fleece into clouds of fiber-y goodness.
Have a fantastic night 🙂
Hello!
I barely made it through my day at work, lol – could not wait to get home and get back to the gray fleece again, as I’m quite sure you all understand 🙂
What a beauty it is.
Check out that little washed bit, all separated into locks and dried now…it may well be worth washing this baby slowly because the locks couldn’t have come out more perfect, in my opinion….
I couldn’t help but spin a small sample; it’s virtually irresistible fiber.  I tried spinning from the lock and from hand carded rolags – from the lock wins hands down because the fiber is so fine.  Combing would be perfection, something I have to try and will certainly show once I do 🙂
I’ve been working through some bits of interesting fiber and have spun another skein of laceweight yarn. Â This one is “Something Red”, created by blending the lovely white cormo/merino with hand dyed blue/violet silk and a wine red shade of predyed superwash merino. Â I blend by sight and handcard my rolags.
Pictures coming soon of the actual plied yarn…I’ve got to skein and wash it first and we all know I’m probably lost in the land of grey fleece tonight 🙂  Have an excellent day!
Yes, I know it’s not really friday. For me, though, it is – so yay! Not that I don’t enjoy my job because I actually do, it’s just a matter of balance. My crafts are exactly what balance me 🙂
And now I get to spin 🙂 For two whole glorious days 🙂
This is some of the very lovely cotton which I bought from an excellent seller I found on Ravelry, from Kentucky. I bought two pounds to give it a try – it was raw…I love learning new things from the ground up!
It came like the bit on the left – on the right is some of the cotton pulled off of the seed.
I held the seed and pulled off the fluff…
In the end I had a cloud of very clean fluff with just a bit of vm left.
\
Just because I’m me (lol, of course!), I had to try spinning it both ways. I carded some and rolled it off the card from side to side…
I think both methods work well and don’t have a real preference yet 🙂 I ended up all distracted and started spinning and knitting for a lovely thin knit alpaca cardigan – 2 ply just-a-little-more-than-lace-weight.
I have more yarn to ply…I’m finding the weaving bobbin rack and winder sooooo useful! Best thing ever.
It’s an absolute star for storing the singles and plying from too!
Oh! And I must show you the baby boy! He’s growing like a weed and getting cuter every day!
The spinning wheel is calling…Have a fantastic couple of days folks – I know I will 🙂
Good morning!
It’s been so long….
Spring is here and I’ve been busy 🙂 Seems spring always makes one want to DO more – and some of us have a different take on spring cleaning! I’ve had several fleeces sitting for a while — some since last summer! I don’t know if I posted about it last fall but I have some absolutely beautiful long staple alpaca…dusty dusty stuff with some burr issues as well. It’s got a staple of about 8 inches as it was a long time between shearings and it is SUPER soft – lovely lovely lovely. Irreplaceable really. Fortunately, lol, I started out with about 14 pounds and there is no end in sight yet.
Unwashed…
Combed out for debris, but not yet washed…
Final product – rovings are clean and pulled from my combs…
There is also the ‘meat’ sheep wool which I was given last year – in black and white – waiting to get a good soak and a wash. The wool comes out nice but the dirt is incredible – sometimes free looks like an excellent price. There is a large bin full of that waiting for me on the porch.
Oh yes, and a basset hound too…
My baby grandson has had his first birthday – still the cutest baby in the world with the BEST smile 🙂
His other grandma has sheep and lambs and has very generously given me three bags of wool (I jokingly asked for ‘three bags full’ lol) – the first is lamb (three fleeces I think), the second is yearling (two to three fleeces) and the third bag is adult (haven’t counted them but I believe it holds two fleeces).
The lamb, unwashed…
The yearling, unwashed (or possibly the adult)…MUCH dirtier than the lamb. I plan to soak this in a cold soak for a few days before washing it…
These fleeces MUST be a mixed breed but are sooooo soft I’m pleasantly surprised! I’ve washed some of the lamb, so far, and it’s coming out lovely. Very short fibers but lovely AND it helped motivate me to learn how to spin short fibers. Happy to say that after two days of utter failure…. I CAN DO IT! 🙂
The lamb…clean…
Here’s some blended short fibers that I’ve successfully spun…YAY!…it’s camel, yak, silk and lambswool blended on carders and then spun for a two ply thick and thin yarn….(it truly is soft as butter)
I’ve sold one of my spinning wheels – the Bordua that I bought last fall – to a really nice Ravelry member who will truly appreciate her. I’ve also begun selling some handspun wool yarn and some spinning fiber (the above mentioned alpaca) through my local kijiji. I definitely spin more than I knit and the wool is piling up!
Some recently spun yarns…
(Left to right…lambswool, spun from the lock very finely for a four ply fingering weight yarn; alpaca, spun from combed fiber, two ply; grammalamb spun two ply; the soft as butter blended camel 2ply; a skein of laceweight, handdyed silk two ply approx 800 metres.)
Oh – Almost forgot! There IS news on the knitting front….
I’ve spun 900 metres of silk/lambswool/alpaca (in approximate thirds, blended on carders and then spun fine for a three ply lace weight) to make a really beautiful pair of lace knitted stockings. So pretty, so impractical. Of course I had to have them 🙂 I’ve only just begun the knitting but it’s coming along well…
As if that isn’t enough, I’ve also been working on some orifice hooks…
I am also working on the spinning wheel at the beginning of this post – she needed a few things and a bit of a facelift. I should have pictures to share very soon 🙂 I believe she is a german parlor wheel but who knows for sure…
And just because…I’ve decided it’s time to make a quilt. A really special quilt I’ve had a picture for for ages…known to me and those that know me as “THE ONE”. It begins something like this….
Now that I’m done surgery (and healing well I’m happy to add!) and my 40th birthday has passed uneventfully…I wanted to do something for me. A little personal pat on the back…
Nice, isn’t it?
I’m using some yarn I spun for the project, superwash merino laceweight in the colour ‘sapphire’, mill ends purchased at The Black Lamb in Port Hope, Ontario. My yarn came out thick and thin (doesn’t it always?) and is roughly lace/light fingering weight. It seems to be working out well in this sweater though I’m pretty sure my guage is off. I’m making the smallest size so there’s a bit of room for that guage issue.
I really don’t tend to worry very much about getting guage and I’m usually pretty lucky.
A little peek…
The colour is off…it’s brighter than the picture shows but it’s so blah here today I’m doubting it’s the day for a better picture…
Check out the newest gadget I’ve reassigned to spinning…
It’s actually a tiered knit dryer with mesh that fits over the bars…I found it at a discount store for about 8 bucks last weekend. I think it’s ideal as a yarn dryer as well, on it’s side like it is!
It’s currently drying a skein of laceweight (for the camp shirt) and some yarn I’ve spun for the African Adventure blanket. That blanket is surely sucking up the yarn, lol. I’ve got good news…it’s not abandoned, just in transition while I respin each colour for it.
This is ‘Fern Glade’ from the new Knitty by Megan Marshall. It was a beautiful knit – fun to make and fairly quick too! I used two strands of Jaggerspun lace weight in boysenberry and columbine. It’s in my projects on ravelry.
I’ve also been working on some TOP SECRET elf business, whenever the kid’s aren’t home. Can’t show you yet – in case they decide to read the blog (unlikely but you know). They are beautiful and I’ll post pics on Christmas!
I’ve started playing around, trying to design a scarf – not worth sharing yet but I’ll let you know – maybe I’ll have something to take a picture of by this evening 🙂
We’re having an entirely homemade Christmas this year, by the looks of it. Later this weekend I’m planning to put it all in one place and see where I’m at. For sure I’m behind a few pairs of those felted ribby slippers!
Right now I’m totally supposed to be baking a birthday cake! Chocolate, in the shape of a football and iced accordingly, lol. My little guy is now 11 — they grow up quickly 🙂
Have a great day 🙂 I’ll be the lady in the kitchen, desperately knitting and baking chocolate cake!
It’s the ‘wabenschal’ pattern, using my handspun superwash merino laceweight 🙂 When finished, it goes into the Christmas Gift pile.
So I’ve decided that my cone of silky wool (unknown really but I can tell it is natural fibres and very very soft) wants to become a Laminaria shawl!
It’s perfect for a shawl and there is lots of it on the cone. I can’t wait to cuddle up in this 🙂 I’m using a 4 mm needle and I like how it drapes so far.
Of course, this means I had to frog the apres surf hoodie I was working on – 🙂
I wanted a quick something to work on last night…I chose the Beaufort hat by Angela Hahn (which I thought was just beautiful to begin with!) and used two strands of laceweight in place of the called for aran weight yarn.
Ta Da…
Really cute, a perfect fit and very comfy! I think I’ll be making more of these 🙂
Finished the first one! 🙂
Two beautiful cakes of handspun 🙂 I’m hoping this works out like I think it will. I made the darker colour in a thick/thin, on purpose, hoping that it will add interesting texture. The other has some thick spots, lol, which are just the nature of me spinning…I’m the farthest thing from technically correct that there is! I just spin 🙂
I’ve finally cast on for the Winter Twilight Mitts! I am using my new harmony fixed circular in size 2.5 mm…I bought it for the Autumn Rose but never needed it…I’m using it as the fourth dpn since somehow? I only had three.
Today is ‘dentist day’ for me…a consultation to see what all needs done. Which BY FAR beats the toothache I had – so badly – recently. The dressing they applied has held and there hasn’t been any pain so I’m really hoping this means that they can fill this tooth rather than pull/rootcanal it. I don’t mind either proceedure really, and I’ve had both, but the COST of a root canal is outrageous and I’d rather we don’t have to afford that right now. I miss our dental benefits!
Knitting is so much less stressful!
I’m calling it ‘Shadows Handspun’.
This is the yarn I was spinning for the trees in the Winter Twilight Mitts pattern. I used blue and black superwash merino. The first ply in blue only, the second using both colours in my ‘fake hand paint’ method. I was so unsure as I spun it but I love it now! 🙂
I have 440 metres!
Ah, AND, LOL, I made a drastic mistake when I calculated the yardage on the Violet Rose — I left out a whole hundred wraps!
(see the little ‘116’? I don’t know how but I counted that as ’16’)
So, it is really 645 metres, not 520.
The yarn is soaking at the moment…can’t wait to get it dried and ready to knit!
I’ve had a skein of two ply handspun sitting on the bobbin for a while. I was originally planning to use it to make a cabled sock yarn – it was a technique I hadn’t tried yet (and still haven’t, for that matter!).
However….
Now I’ve found the perfect pattern for it! It’s the Winter Twilight Mitts pattern by Laura Rintala, available as a free download on the Knitting Daily website.
I wish you could see the shine…the yarn has a really nice sheen to it and it’s so soft!
The yarn is superwash merino spun from mill ends bought at my favorite shop, The Black Lamb in Port Hope, Ontario. I spun the skein in my ‘fake hand paint’ way using various colours. There are 520 metres (yay me) on the skein, so more than enough.
I’m planning to spin some black superwash – maybe mix in some dark gray – for the main colour.
I’m excited 🙂 It’ll be good to get back to the wheel too! I polished her up this morning in anticipation of our upcoming time together…she’s so much prettier when she’s not all dusty.
My baby plants are growing really well! 🙂 I can’t wait for summer….
I’ve finished Ice Queen and I LOVE it! I used an assortment of beads — didn’t have enough of any one colour and I reclaimed them from kids bracelets so I couldn’t change plans and buy more of the same.
Check it out!
I used 1.23 oz for this and have .49 oz left for another day!
Though I CAN wait for winter…had enough already!…I’m looking forward to wearing this when the weather turns cold again 🙂 I think the colours suit the pattern and the yarn worked out so well I have a yearning to spin some more lace…wouldn’t it be beautiful in a sweater!
Don’t you agree?!
We found this at a second hand store in Barrie over the weekend and I had to have it! It is so comfortable and I love the look too. I think it’s pretty old and I’m not letting the kids use it, lol…I, on the other hand, love sitting in it for knitting or whatever…it lets the kids have the couch and since our living room is small, it helps us all fit in without too many of us sitting on the floor (which we don’t mind either).
A few pictures of the Hexacomb Cardigan I knit with my handspun superwash merino from The Black Lamb….
A close up of the ‘buttons’ – ok, beads 🙂
And the beginnings of Ice Queen….
So, I’ve entered my laceweight into the spinning contest I’ve been talking about. I couldn’t take the waiting for someone else to enter so I’m the first entry, lol. Here’s the finished yarn…
I’m happy as can be with it. I’m planning to make the Ice Queen pattern from knitty.com with it using some glass seed beeds in pink and amber shades. I also have blue and an ivory so they are always options too. I think it’s a great choice because it’s superwash yarn and will be easy to care for. The colours are perfect too I think!
My daughter’s cardigan is coming along well…done the main knitting and working on seaming and trim today. I hope to have enough yarn left for the trim but it’s ok if I end up spinning more. The last of the singles are still on the bobbins to give me a ‘starting weight’ to copy. That’s how I spun the yarn for it so far. I think the leftover helps a lot to keep the weight the same. I’ve been just joining onto the leftover and continuing the strand rather than worrying about emptying the bobbins and starting fresh. I have no idea how others spin for large projects but this works for me!
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