It’s been a bit tense and hectic around here, and it’s not improving. At least I can stroke my lovely Exuberance to bring down the blood pressure…
Yarn Yard Goodies
Did I post this yet?
These are the goodies that arrived from the Yarn Yard recently. From Left to Right:
- Bamboo yarn in Juniper colourway. Natalie suggests this is a little light for socks so I am on the lookout for a good project for 470 metres.
- Merino pencil roving in “Wrappings” – no plans, I just got seduced by the colours. Looks like potential sock yarn to me.
- Merino Laceweight in “Peace” – 1093 yards of shawl-y goodness. I currently favour this shawl pattern for this yarn (or this stole)
- Merino/Tussah Silk roving in “Ribbons”. I dived straight into this and it was almost gone by the time I could take a picture.
Yes – my colours are all over the place but… there is a genuine and distinct difference once the roving is spun and plied and the pics below aren’t all that far off, except for the first one
Exuberance
This is what the Ribbons roving became: Exuberance – my deliberately lumpy bumpy slubby textural yarn. I LOVE it!
Spun in deliberately random fashion – I consciously tried not to keep the colour sequence and made no attempt to match the bobbins. I did a fair job of equalling the yardage on the two bobbins. That tiny skein on top was left on one bobbin, so I plied it onto itself – Navajo-style. The difference is very visible, both in colour and twist. I’m not adept at Navajo yet and so I gained much more twist as I slowly fumbled. (In fact, this is what I need to aim for; I am too fearful at present of over twisting the ply and I undershoot and get a biased skein.)
This was such fun to spin! and fast, too. It feels divine. I have no idea what to do with it. I have 300 yards, exactly, of the lumpy bumpy stuff. Do I do freeform for the wall? or do I do a nice hat, or something? Or just keep stroking it for a bit, while I decide?
One day soon I may get the colour reproduction right. And, if maybe not right, I might also try for some consistency!
How The Leaves Came Down
More colour problems. The yarn is closest in colour to the close up pic, if it matters.
I knit the test piece, cast it off, watched it spring miraculously into a shawl-shaped object, and gloated. Then I soaked it. Then I discovered a total absence of pins… and had to attempt to roughly block it using cocktail sticks!
It’s lovely. I shall probably reduce my needle size when I cast this on for real, as I feel the stocking stitch leaves need to be firmer and smoother, especially if they are to support beads.
I am really going to enjoy knitting this and cannot wait to get started. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I haven’t yet been out to see if I can blag some beads.
Wednesday Spinning
Traumatic. Don’t ask.
Future spinning
- Learn to control the wheel and the spin
- Learn to make a fatter yarn
- Tweak my plying skills
- Produce 1600 yards of Aran weight yarn that is fit to knit
Yes. I am going for it. I am going to spin sufficient fleece to make a sweater! Along the way I hope to improve my skills and become a more technical spinner. I can’t help it, I am a control freak. Even when I make lumpy bumpy stuff, I’d like to be able to make it in a controlled way 🙂
I think I’ll try blending the various Shetland shades that J gave me a while back. There should be sufficient if I use it all and by using the carded fleece I can concentrate on manipulating the spin to the correct weight.