June 2009 Archives

I couldn't help myself, I had to spin up all those gorgeous cormo locks I got in Maine.

I spun the locks up semi-woolen, by simply loosening the locks lightly with my fingers and spinning them from a very lightly held fist. I tried hand carding them, but cormo is really delicate and the carders tend to snap the fibers. It's really unnecessary to card them, anyway and hand prepping the locks lets you pick out any random second cuts and VM (of which there was very little.)

I spun up three bobbin and plied them together into a three-ply. With all it's sproing and bounce and just a wee bit of halo, it should make spectacular cables; perhaps on a warm pair of mittens. I chose to ply off of three bobbins instead of chain plying because I wanted to blend all the tonalities as much as possible and minimize any strong striping. I'm really happy with the end result.

In the end the 4 ounces worked up into about 230 yards and about 10 wpi. Now all I need is more time to knit my spinning.

I've decided to join the Tour de Fleece (also, on Ravelry) after Mary-Heather invited me. As you can see, I started my own team, Fleece Bottom Girls. If you want to join my team, the thread is here on Ravelry, along with some buttons and a ravatar.

In light of the upcoming event (or just because I love spinning) I've been honing my skills and cranking out some yarn.

1. Bobbin--Deep Sea merino/tencel, 2. Schnoz--Deep Sea merino/tencel, 3. Dime for scale--Deep Sea merino/tencel, 4. Skein--Deep Sea merino/tencel
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

I picked this up over at Etsy and I love it so much. The bottom two images are closest in color. I should have dropped the red a bit in the top two.

The finished yarn is about a fingering weight. There are ~430 yards and it's a 2ply, plied off of two bobbins until the end, with the remnant off of one bobbin andean plied. The tencel ads a great drape and gives the finished yarn a real shimmery quality.

I also decided I needed to try to spin a little novelty yarn, mostly because I've been reading about some of the techniques and while I don't like novelty yarn, and I don't have any desire to knit it, it seems like it'd be fun to spin.

So I took some cotswold (which is a lot like mohair) and spun up some singles thick and thin.

The fiber came in batts so it is super floofy and hairy and the thick and thin really just looked like messed up dreadlocks. It probably doesn't help that my thick and thin intervals were pretty uneven.

So then I spun up some very fine singles in the same fiber, and worked them semi-worsted (as much as I could with carded fiber) to get a smooth and sleek singles. I plied both singles together and got this.

Yah, I won't quit my day job.

I've also been spinning some merino/tencel on my new spindle.

This fiber is from Spunky Eclectic and the colorway is Black Cherry.

Lastly, also from Spunky Eclectic, is the Cormo I got from the Fiber Folic.

I've professed my love for cormo, here, before, and having it dyed so beautifully only makes the heart beat faster.

A crisp cool linen skirt. What could be nicer on a hot day?

This will definitely need a slip or underskirt, since it's a bit sheer, but that seems fine to me. I think I'll pair them with my black Doc Martin mary janes.

All in all, a fun little project that was a good mindless knit. I love how the linen softens and tightens up when washed and dried. Except for the bit of ironing it will require, it should be a sturdy and low maintenance piece. On that note, does anyone have a visceral response to putting their knits in the dryer? I'm so used to hand washing and drying. Even knowing that linen loves to be washed and dried, didn't keep me from feeling a little dread when I put her in the dragon's maw.

Well, I'm still trying to catch up from being away from home, but the trip was, by all accounts, a great time.

Maine is beautiful this time of year. And if you can find yourself a properly sized hamster ball, in which to travel, you might even survive the mosquitoes.

My parents brought me to Halcyon which was lovely and fantastic and where I found a book on Scottish plaids, which contains my own last name. All was going fine until mom proclaim, aloud, that I was a "famous knitwear designer," and that I had been on tv. She brought visual aids. Dad, of course, contributed to the public shaming. I am pretty sure that if people have to be alerted to the fact, it pretty much tells you everything you need to know about how famous you are. Bad parents, no cookie. But thank you to the staff at Halcyon for being so gracious about it.

Also, in New England, you can get a properly made clam roll.

They don't make 'em like this anywhere else. FYI, "clam strips" are not even food. If you are going to eat a clam, you should be committed to eating the whole thing. I may, perhaps, have strong opinions on this topic.

The Frolic was great, as always. It's just the perfect sized event, with a little of everything but never too much.

Do you see that wee little goat? I held her too. She was warm and snuggly and oh so cute. I think I want a goat. In case you are wondering, yes, my mom knit her sweater. If you go over to the flickr set for my trip, can see a few more shots of it, though I neglected to get a full on view of it.

The weaving/knitting combo is coming together and I like it. The woven part has been washed and dried and I washed and dried a knitting swatch to determine my final gauge, so don't be alarmed by how open and baggy the knitted portion looks right now. That should firm up and better match the woven portion.

Also, the plaid needs a good pressing.

Tomorrow, I head off to Maine for the Fiber Frolic where I plan to treat myself to a bit of gorgeous fiber and maybe even another spindle. Oh and, of course, I'll get to see my parents too, which is always a treat.

I won't be taking my laptop along, which is a first for me. It seems like it'll increase my chances of relaxation. Hopefully, I'll come back with a bunch of pretty pictures to share.