I’ve been careening madly around the internet posting photos of this yarn. Well, on Ravelry and in a Picasa web album, anyway, which goes on G+ which feels very much like the entire internet sometimes…
POINT being, if we’re connected anywhere else, you may have already seen this, sorry. But really, if this yarn isn’t screaming for attention, I don’t know what is.
"Look at meeee!"
This is my latest yarn, and probably my best spinning result ever to this point. Especially as I did a chain ply (aka: Navajo ply), which I’ve needed to practice.
I’ve really been wanting to spin a gradient yarn after seeing friends on Ravelry produce simply gorgeous skeins from gradient-dyed rovings. I found this bold roving of Merino/Silk at Fiber Optic Yarns and snapped it up, even though the colors scared me a little. I love orange and yellow! But, yeah… no… scary.
I knew I could not split this in half and then try to ply the two singles together… I wanted NO barber pole effect! The spinning took several days and I think the plying took about a day. It’s all a blur.
Anyway, I’m really excited about these results and cannot wait to spin another gradient. There is some un-dyed roving in my stash and a couple of new green dyes… new project!
I’m so happy with the yarn that came from these three days! This is one ounce of fiber that became 234 yards of laceweight singles yarn on the drop spindle. It was starting to get really difficult at the end, and an ounce was about all I was going to get wound on… I wonder if that will improve with time as well.
I just love the way the colors look:
The fiber is more of my beloved Dicentra Designs. I never thought the drop spindle would captivate me; it just never clicked before. But now that I’m getting the hang of it, I love it. I thought I might go back to the wheel after I finished this yarn, but no, I pulled out the spindle again on day 15! Production is way down, though… this takes me forever.
Days 9 and 10 are from the drop spindle; on day 11 I finished up some yarn that was on the wheel.
Well, I had the best of intentions to spin every day of the tour, but it just didn’t happen on Friday. I was getting ready to vend at the “Crazy Daze” event in downtown Albany on Saturday. (Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the sun and the bargains!)
Anyway, here is my progress from days 5, 6, and 8:
I’m particularly happy with day 8… I spent the day practicing with the spindle, and by the end I had a little under 100 yards of lace weight singles yarn. I am starting to get it, whoo hoo!
Day 3 – plied the baby camel
Day 4 – started this BFL from Dicentra Designs
Totally loving these colors!
Tour de Fleece is upon us again! I spun a LOT last year. I’m not sure I will be so diligent about spinning every day this year, but I’ll see…
Here is some of the fiber I picked up at Black Sheep Gathering last weekend:
From top left: undyed BFL/silk (75/25) from Crown Mountain Farms; BFL in the Amber colorway by Dicentra Designs; BFL in the Spring Blooms colorway by Dicentra Designs; baby camel from Herndon Creek Farm; undyed Polwarth from Crown Mountain Farms.
Updates to come as the tour progresses!
Today some friends and I headed down to Eugene to take in all the fibery goodness of the Black Sheep Gathering.
Of course I found plenty of gorgeous stuff to spin, but I think my favorite purchase of the day would have to be this agatized coral button from Rock and Wool:
I’m not sure I’m going to be able to part with it, so it probably won’t end up on one of my hats!
Finally!
Back in August, I posted that I’d started this pattern & was determined to finish it. Well… yeah… That didn’t happen. (Shocking, I know.) I just didn’t like the project with that yarn and ended up setting it aside. But then I found this Dream in Color Baby and thought it would be perfect for finally getting back to the pattern.
The pattern is called The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, and is free on Ravelry. The yarn is much thinner than suggested by the pattern writer, so mine is pretty small… don’t mind, though, since I’ll just be wrapping it around my neck and not trying to wear it as a shawl or anything.
(One of my few finished knitted items… yay!)
Am I boring ’cause I like browns and tans? (Wait! Don’t answer that.)
I purchased this Merino/Tencel (50/50) fiber from Fat Cat Knits and spun it into a fingering weight singles yarn. There are about 218 yards in 2 oz. I just find the colors so soothing and beautiful, like playing with rocks in a shallow stream.
Polwarth… fast becoming one of my favorite wools to spin.
Craftgawker
Etsy Mini
