At first I didn’t think I was going to get much done yesterday afternoon. It was rainy, and my enamel pots were still sitting out on the back porch getting soaked. I didn’t quite have the “oomph” to go and bring them in, then scrub them out and dunk all that yarn in hot water. But then it occurred to me that I couldn’t start on either of the knitting projects until the yarn had been dunked and dried, which meant get them in the water now.
So, once I got the pots ready for use I started with my newly re-claimed Rebecca yarn. The beginnings of the sweater unraveled fairly well, except for this largest skein. We call it the clown wig. I had to dunk it really well to get rid of the crinkles.
Kinky Yarn
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And now, back after a long absence, I bring you the reluctant blogger. Sorry about that, everyone. I’ve been just plain lazy, doing odds and ends and juggling work schedules and what not. So, I’m going to attempt to change that. I’m now going to start thinking of projects as “long weekend” things instead of “squeeze them in whenever.” The old “set a goal and accomplish it” ply. I mean ploy. See? It’s working already.
So, here is the first break’s goal.
Two Projects to Finish
Finish spinning and plying the merino/silk batt, and preferably knit it into a scarf. And, since I don’t seem to know when to stop, I also want to knit the shiny red yarn into a scarf for a friend of mine. It’s spun from the roving I dyed with the cochineal. You may have noticed, I used the “k” word twice! Yes, I’m serious about this knitting thing. Therefore, both scarves will be knit as practice for the sweater I’m planning to make. And before you say “
Another sweater? ” let me explain. It will not be another sweater, but a re-do. I’m unraveling the teal Rebecca sweater.
I’ll wait for you to collect your wits.
Are we good now? Okay. Let me explain.
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I’ve been crocheting away for the past week or so, working on the merino sweater, and now I’ve finished the body piece! It fits quite well, and I’m excited to see how it will block.
Completed Section
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I did it. I asked my sister for a pair of knitting needles and a refresher course. Another sister claimed I must be really sick. But I wasn’t! It was starting to clear up. (And is practically gone now.) I just wanted something to do while waiting for the merino yarn to dry. So, here is my little practice knitting swatch, knit from the “Thistles” yarn.
A Lengthy Swatch
I’m now keeping one eye open for any easy looking, but not too easy, knitting patterns. There’s a scarf pattern I’m thinking about doing, but I’ve got to get or spin some yarn for it first. My main trouble is that I love lace knit stuff. Anything thin and lacy and delicate. Not good for beginners. There has to be a middle-road somewhere, and I’m trying to find it.
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I tell you, this pot of dye was like the Energizer Bunny! It just kept going and going and going!
The first batch of wool came out a sort of mauve color. And the bag seemed to have worked!
Darker Fleece
Then I popped in a second batch to see if I could get a lighter shade for two-tone purposes.
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I never thought I could get out of the habit of spinning incessantly, but somehow I managed it while we had company for two weeks. I am now trying to get back in as fast as possible. Here’s the second bobbin-full of merino. That thing is so soft!
Merino Bobbins
And then I pulled the Walking Wheel out from where it had been buried during the visit (it takes up our entire living room, so we had to move it temporarily) and was planning to start in on the alpaca again.
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Despite the fact that I was in the middle of spinning the brown wool, I went ahead and started playing with the Norwegian roving. It spun up quite nicely! I was pleasantly surprised. It was rather inexpensive, which made me think it wouldn’t have as good quality, but I was wrong. It’s a nice, squishy yarn, with just enough coarseness that I think it will wear well. The first skein wound off at a squeak over 70 yards. No clue what the others wound off at.
Three Skeins
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Well, of course I have socks, but I’m referring to a very special pair. A gorgeous pair. Of the “thick-warm-squishy homespun” kind.
The Finished Gawain Socks
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I have worked with the alpaca and come out on top. I have conquered, and I’m loving it.
A Bobbin of Joy
It’s really weird how different it is from regular wool. I can’t think of how to describe it expect that it’s “buttery-er” than wool. It kind of slides along. I’ve been spinning it on the Walking Wheel.
The original idea was to try for a sport weight yarn, but I don’t know if that’s what this will turn out as. I spun a gazillion little samples to see what the best amount of twist would be. (And promptly forgot which sample went with which amount of twist.) But, the alpaca seems to be behaving, and I’m getting pretty good at separating out the coarser, slippery hairs. Wait, that sounds funny—how can something be slippery and coarse? . . . but that’s really the only way I can describe it.
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I made a ton of progress on the Jester batt yesterday. In fact, it’s all spun into singles and almost half of it is plyed. I just love the brown and copper look of the finished product.
Coppery
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