Fiber Friday - Granulito

This is the first time I have spun Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) on my wheel. It was the first fiber we used on a spindle in my spinning class. Both times the fiber proved to be a good experience. It was easy to prepare and draft the fiber for spinning and the resulting yarn is soft. It's a good thing too, because when I was getting my stash of spinning fiber together I bought a bunch of the BFL in all types of colors.

BFL is a longwool English breed that had a fiber staple length of about 3-6 inches. I think that length is part of what makes it a nice wool for beginners to use for spinning. I did a little reading and found out that the blue face comes from their bluish black skin covered with white hair. They have no wool on their head and neck. An entire fleece will typically weight 3 to 6 lbs., with a fiber diameter of 56s – 60s count, or 24-28 microns, creating high quality luster yarns with beautiful drape.

I do have plans for this yarn already. This skein is destined to be part of a shawl. I have several colors of the BFL that seem to coordinate very well so I am thinking of putting them together into a feather and fan comfort shawl. I've got five colors I think will work - but I need to get them all spun up to make sure. I've also got to be able to spin each skein to a somewhat consistent thickness. I'm really excited about the idea of an actual project out of my own handspun.

Details
Brand: Geddesburg Handspun Yarn
Content: 100% Bluefaced Leicester
Fiber Source: The Fiber Denn on Etsy
Skein Weight: 3.75 ounces
Skein Length: 238 yards
Spinning Ratio: 10 to 1
Plying Ratio: 9 to 1
Other Details: 2-ply, hand wash

Halfobi? Why Not Just Knit a Whole One?

I've just cast on for a new project, the Halfobi by Ivete Tecedor. It is a little jacket type garment in a kimono style. An obi is a sash worn with a kimono; so I'm not really sure where this pattern gets it's name. It is short in length so maybe that contributes. but I think I'll knit mine just a little longer than the one pictured in the pattern. It is plain stockinette stitch, so I'm using a fun colored yarn - Noro Silk Garden in color 245.

I picked this pattern for a couple of reasons, I like the shape and it looks easy. it also has a little bit of seaming at the end. This will be my third garment, but the first time I've had to seam one. I figure it is time to start branching out a little bit. I don't think everything has to be knit in the round. I did do some seaming on my Lizard Ridge Afghan; so I think I'll be able to do it with no problem.

I've also been working on a pair of socks for my husband. I picked them up last week and took a look in my notebook - I started them last march! I just want to finish them before a year goes by. I've got a good shot - I'm ready to turn the heals. I am knitting both socks at once on two circulars. I don't have a current picture; that will have to wait until they are finished. I've also been spinning. I'll have a new finished yarn for Friday.

Fiber Friday - Sweet Corrosion

I liked spinning this so much better than the Romney I spun for last week. This yarn was spun from hand dyed merino combed top from FatCatKnits. this is the second roving I've used from this shop. The colors are great and the fiber has been easy to prepare for spinning.

This time I did spend more time with the fiber before setting down to spin. You saw the results of that on Monday's post. It really did make the spinning go fast and easy. I think it really helped me to get the final yarn a little more even that I have been getting in the past. So for the time being I will keep preparing the fiber this way.

The color of this fiber was named Sweet Corrosion. I didn't really pay too much attention to the color as I prepared the fiber for spinning. I like the barber pole effect and it helps me to judge plying the yarn when the color of each strand is different. It will be fun to try for a self-striping yarn sometime though.

Details
Brand: Geddesburg Handspun Yarn
Content: 100% merino wool
Skein Weight: 4.5 ounces
Skein Length: 264 yards
Spinning Ratio: 17 to 1
Plying Ratio: 10 to 1
Other Details: 2-ply

The Lumpy Bumpy Handspun Hat

I've finally knit something with some of this yarn I've been spinning. I took my husband's favorite skein so far and decided to knit up a hat for him. He wanted a basic hat that was long enough to fold back up over his ears. I wasn't sure how much yarn it would take, so I decided to start from the top down.

I wasn't sure what needles to use because the yarn was thick and thin. I had a couple pairs of US 6 (4 mm) out from the sweater I recently finished so I decided to start with those. I cast on 8 stitches and divided them between my two circular needles and knit the first row. I worked in a 1x1 rib and made evenly spaced increases every other row until I got something that looked big enough to fit on his head.

Then I just knit in 1x1 rib until there was only enough yarn left for the bind off. I used the whole skein in the hat. I think it could have been longer if I had more yarn and in retrospect the size 6 needles might have been a little small overall. But it works at keeping the top of his head warm and he is at least wearing the hat to walk the dog.

I really do like the lumpy texture of this hat. It is nice and soft. It would have made for a great scarf if there had been enough yarn. I also like the fact that there wasn't any yarn leftover. I'm definitely looking forward to more handspun knits!

A is for Attenuate

I joined another ABC Along this year. This one is being hosted by Vicki over at Knitorious. I did one a couple years ago and had fun. It helped me keep some fresh content on my blog and share some of the things I'm interested in other than knitting. So I decided to go for it again because I want to work on my camera skills.

So this one isn't about knitting, but is about my new interest in spinning. A is for attenuate. Attenuate according to Webster's online dictionary means to reduce especially in thickness, density, or force. I didn't know the word until the spinning class I took in December. I thought I understood the word in context, but I looked it up when I got home to be sure.

The instructor was using attenuate in reference to the color of some dyed fiber we were spinning. I can definitely see that when two colors meet while spinning fiber that each does lose some intensity as they mix. You can also see that as fiber is drafted or pre-drafted in preparation for spinning the fiber does become less dense.

This is the fiber I'm working on for this week's Fiber Friday. I decided to spin a two-ply yarn and I plan on spinning each half of the fiber onto different bobbins and then ply each single together. So I split the braid of combed top lengthwise into two somewhat equal halves. Then I took each half and kept splitting the pieces in half lengthwise until I had two large piles of light and fluffy wool. The next step will be to spin the singles to get ready for plying. Preparing the fiber like this will hopefully help me spin a more consistent yarn.

Fiber Friday - Romney

No, this isn't going to be about the republican candidate for president, but rather the latest fiber I've been spinning. This is a ball of roving that I purchased at SAFF. The ball weighed in at 8 ounces and it to date the most I've spun of any one fiber. It's 100% Romney from a farm in Michigan. They named this color Tequila Sunset.

According to my Spinner's Companion, Romney is supposed to have a fiber length of about 4-8 inches and be moderatly soft, a good fiber felting and blankets. The fiber I have seems to match up with that description. The fiber length was closer to the 8 inch length and I think it would felt very well. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to felt my handspun yarn yet.

On the plus side, the roving was easy to draft and was fairly inexpensive. It was about half the cost of some of the other fiber I've purchased. On the flip side, I thought that this roving was kind of scratchy and there is no way I'll ever be able to wear it next to my skin. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the yarn really isn't very smooth. It seems very hairy to me which is probably why it is scratchy. I'm just not sure if that is because of the fiber or because of the spinner.

There was also still vegetable matter in the fiber. I don't know if I'd say a lot, but this is the first fiber I've tried to spin with an at all, so from my experience it was a lot. Some of it I was able to pick out, but some got through and into the yarn. Oh well, if it's okay for Noro I guess it is okay for my yarn too.

I'm finally starting to get a much more even yarn. There is still variation, which I'm kind of expecting since I'm not a machine. But overall the variation is much less pronounced and things are starting to even out a little bit. This is a two-ply yarn and I would guess that maybe it is about a worsted weight and I ended up with about 204 yards.

The Portland Sweater

Well, I finally have my light weight sweater finished and just In time for the cold front we are getting. Had I finished this last week when we were still having 60 and 70 degree days, I could have worn it. But this morning the temperature was in the 30s as I left for work, so the sweater has been put on a shelf until spring weather returns.

This sweater was easy to knit, but maybe a little boring because it is all stockinette stitch except for the shoulders and edges and that is garter stitch. The sweater didn't involve any seaming either and I liked that. The sleeves were knit first and then joined together to begin the body of the sweater.

I think what helped make this sweater was the yarn. I really like the way the yarn feels and I'm a little surprised by that because of all the synthetic fibers. I'm usually not one that likes too much rayon and polyester in my clothes at all - but I like this sweater. The fabric does have a nice drape and softness.

I also love the colors. The little coils in the yarn knit up and gave the stockinette fabric quite a bit of interest. I'm looking forward to wearing this sweater - but I think I"ll need to wear a camisole or t-shirt underneath.

Oh, and that goofy look on my face? Well I'm not yet used to taking my own picture. I got a tripod and a remote control for my camera for Christmas. I can now take my own finished project shots with me as a model.

Project Info
Pattern: The Portland Sweater by Valley Yarns (Webs)
Yarn: Noro Sakura - color #5; 13 skeins;
36% rayon, 28% polyester,
18% nylon, 11% silk,
7% lamb's wool
Needles: addi TURBO - US# 6 (4 mm)
Notes: no modifications were made while knitting this pattern

Fiber Friday - Elegant Autumn

I've really been enjoying my new wheel so I've got more hand spun for this edition of Fiber Friday. This time I tried my hand at spinning some merino wool. I loved spinning it up although I don't think my results so much improvement I was able to get a thinner yarn some of the time. I think that is because of the nature of merino being a little smoother than the other fibers I've tried so far.

This fiber came from Copper Pot Woolies on Etsy. It was 4 ounces of merino fiber in a nice big fluffy ball of roving. The color is named elegant autumn. I ended up with about 162 yards of yarn. My husband picked this out as his favorite hand spun skein so far, so I will set it aside for a hat for him.

I've decided that there is a positive aspect to having a stash of spinning fiber. For the same or even less money, I'm ending up with fiber that I will actually get to use and enjoy twice. The first time the fiber will be used for spinning and the second time will be for knitting. How can you pass up such a great deal?

Fiber Friday - Handspun Edition

This is my fourth attempt at spinning on the new wheel. It's great to be able to use my own yarn for pictures on Fiber Friday. I hope you are all okay with seeing my hand spun instead of a commercial yarn.

This yarn started out as South African wool top from FatCatKnits. I liked spinning this up. The result is a nice soft feeling yarn that I think you could wear next to your skin. I started out with about 4 ounces of fiber and ended up spinning about 122 yards. Everything is still coming out relatively uneven. I think I just need to slow down for a while. I've actually been spinning very fast because I get excited when I sit \down at the wheel. I think I need to relax more and take my time.

I do think some of what I have spun up will make some nice projects; the hard part will be finding small projects to knit with all these smallish amounts of yarn. I'm thinking hats, mittens, or fingerless gloves would work with what I've spun up to this point. I've been spinning more than knitting since Christmas and I'm going to have to start knitting with my new yarn soon.

One, Two, Three

My first three attempts at spinning on my new wheel are complete.

Attempt #1
Fiber: 4 oz Corriedale; FiberMonster
Approx. yards: 74
I liked working with the Corriedale - but I knew that from working with my spindle. The fibers are easy to draft, but not too slippery for my novice hands. I had a lot of breaks in the yarn during spinning and plying. I'd have to say most of that is due to the twist going into the yarn - both too little and too much. I didn't spend much time preparing this fiber. I started spinning it about 5 minutes after getting the wheel set up to go. A little more preparation of the fiber before spinning would help a lot.


Attempt #2
Fiber: 5 oz Corriedale; FiberMonster
Approx. yards: 168
I like this one best because of the color and yardage. I did start out with more fiber so that explains some of extra yardage and I'm getting better at stopping big clumps of fiber from going through my fingers and onto the spindle. I got a lot less breaking during spinning and plying. I also spent more time fluffing and preparing the fiber before spinning. It made the spinning a lot easier.


Attempt #3
Fiber: 4 oz Corriedale Cross; Wooly Treasures
Approx. yards: 176
This is the last of the Corriedale I currently have. I figured I might as well go ahead and finish it all up. I liked these colors better in the fiber braid than I do all spun up.

I'm still not getting a consistent yarn, but it is a lot of fun. I've got to do some reading or take a look at some videos online to see what I need to work on - but I have a feeling this is one of those things that require a good amount of practice.

I need to figure out what to track with each attempt so I can compare and see my improvement. I bought some small tags at the office supply shop to write it all down and attache to the finished skein so I don't have to rely on memory alone. I thought about trying to record the wraps per inch for each skein. These skeins have so many inconsistencies that it would have been an average at best - so I'll start figuring that out later. I've already got some more fiber spun up and just waiting on being plied.

Begin Again

Well 2007 is almost over and it's time to start all yearly processes again. But in the meantime I've collect photos of my finished knit projects for the year and put them together into a collage to wrap up the year. I thought aobut trying to type up a list of resolutions and goals for the upcoming year, but have decided against creating a list.

I did make a list up for myself last year at this time and unsurprisingly I didn't finished them all. So I'm not going to create a new list for 2008. I still hope to complete all the things on the list for this year and do some others too. I'm just going to keep everything a little less formal.

I've had a good 2007 and have a good feeling about 2008. I know I'll be working on my spinning skills. You may have noticed a spinning wheel under the tree in my Christmas post photo. If fact, I'm working on that today. I've spun up some singles that need to be plied together. So hopefully I'll have some photos of some finished yarn to post tomorrow. I've also been working on my Noro Sakura sweater. I'm not going to have it finished by year's end - but It won't be much longer.

I hope you all have a great time celebrating tonight and have a wonderful New Year.

The Best Project of 2007

The bag is finally finished and it came out great, much better than I even hoped it would. This is the The Rather Huge Carpet Bag from the Noni Carpet Bag patterns. I must admit that the bag is rather huge but it will be great to haul projects and other miscellaneous stuff around.

The lining for the bag is constructed out of two colors of cotton fabric and interfacing. I'm lucky that my mom decided to visit us for the holidays and is a sewer to boot because she kindly agreed to use her skills to stitch this lining up for me. I'm so glad she did this because I don't think I could have gotten the lining finished so nicely.

The bag lining is in an abstract print that mimics the colors of the bag. The contrasting batik fabric was used to create little pockets all along the inside of the bag. Each pocket is approximately 6 inches wide and about 7 inches tall. I love the pockets! I can stash so many things in the bag, but still find everything I'm looking for quickly. I also knitted a flap that has a magnetic snap on it to keep the bag closed. The flap is felted but it was not knitted as part of the bag. The flap was knitted separately and sewed on as part of the lining.

I did add a bottom to the bag to help it keep it's shape. There is a sleeve in the bottom of the bag that has a piece of cardboard slipped into it, but I'm looking for something a little more sturdy. I'm keeping my eyes open for a piece of corrugated plastic. The sleeve is made out of the same fabric as the lining on one side and the pocket color on the other.

I also used different handles than called for in the pattern. I wanted something that could be carried over the shoulder. I think that it will make the bag much more usable than a pair of small plastic handles. My handles are some type of cord or plant material with some wooden bead detailing. I picked out a coordinating button for the flap to help hide the snap and add a little decoration.

Project Info
Project: Rather Huge Carpet Bag
Pattern: Felted Carpet Bags in Three Sizes
by Nora J. Bellows
Yarn: Noro Kureyon - color #147; 19 skeins
Needles: addi TURBO - US# 15(10 mm)
Pre-felting Measurements: 10" deep x 33" wide and 24.5" tall
Final Measurements: 6.5" deep x 22" wide and 14" tall
Notes: I really made no modifications to the knitting instructions other than casting on 78 stitches instead of the 75 that the pattern called for and that was just a mistake that I decided not to correct. I also added a felted flap to the bag to hide a magnetic snap on the outside of the bag.To create the flap I cast on 20 stitches and knit 40 rows. I trimmed it slightly after felting. The handles for the bag came from M&J Trimmming. The fabric and button was purchased at a local fabric shop.

Merry Christmas!

I'm hoping that peace, comfort, and joy find you and your family this holiday season.

Fiber Friday - Brombeere

This color is called blackberry. I don't really think of backberries when I see it - but I love the deep red colors all the same.




Yarn Details
Brand: Wollmeise
Yarn Name: sockenwolle
Color: Brombeere (blackberry)
Fiber Content: 100% superwash wool
Skein Weight: 150 gramsYardage: 574 yards
Online: Website / Blog

Back to Knitting

I have been doing a little bit of knitting, but honestly not a whole lot. I had hoped to be a lot further along with this project than I am. This is the Portland Sweater I'm knitting out of Noro Sakura. I've been sidetracked by the holidays and this new interest in spinning. but I have made a little bit of progress on this project. I had hoped to finish this sweater by Christmas - but that isn't looking too good.

I've got one sleeve finished and I'm ready to begin the shoulder part of the second sleeve. The sleeves really account for a good portion of the top of the sweater too. And the body will be plain stockinette stitch - so there is a chance I'll get it done by the end of the year I think.

I love the yarn and the way it is knitting up. I wouldn't have thought I would like it so much from just seeing it in the skein. Realizing that made me wonder why I even bought this yarn. I'll have to be more careful of that type of purchase in the future.

I've taken this project out and about with me for mobile knitting. Almost everyone that has commented on the project has asked about the little wormy slubby bits in the sweater and want to know how I did that part. they are always amazed when I show them that's just part of the yarn. It's kind of fun to have non-knitters look at your projects with amazement and think you are doing something special or magic. It would be nice if everything was like that.

Spinning, I've Been Spinning

This is my first hand spun yarn and I did it on the spindle I purchased at SAFF. It is a 2-ply yarn spun from a ball of pink fiber that I bought when I got my spindle. I actually have no idea what type of wool it is. I do know that I plied the two singles together with too much twist which is partly why the yarn looks so wavy. I did enjoy spinning doing it though and based on that I signed up for a four week class at a local yarn shop.

I have already been to two of the classes and the third session is scheduled for this Wednesday. The first two classes focused on spinning on a spindle. This yarn is a 2-ply Blue faced Leicester in it's natural sheepy color. By this time, I think that the spinning and drafting has gotten a little bit easier, but I don't think there is much improvement in the finished yarn. This time I ended up with under spun singles and in a lot of places the yarn is wrapped instead of plied. I think part of this is do to the under spinning and uneven thickness of the singles. I 'm still hoping the more I do it, the better it will get.

Our second week was spent trying out a new fiber, Corriedale. Part of the idea of the class is to try out new fibers and figure out the difference in spinning. I really liked working with the Corriedale. So far it is has been the easiest to spin in my opinion. Overall this yarn seems a little more even, but not a whole lot better. I still don't have any of the fancy little tools and gadgets for spinning so I can't tell you how many wraps per inch or estimate the yardage. Maybe Santa will drop some off under the tree this year. This week we get to sit at a wheel for the first time.

When I started knitting, I told myself that I'd never knit socks. Who would want to mess around with something that looks so complicated on such small needles. There is plenty to knit besides socks. I now love knitting socks. I told myself I'd never want to spin yarn - there are so many types of beautiful yarn to buy. Hand spun yarn can even be had for a price. At the moment, I'm learning to spin. Now I'm telling myself I do not want to prepare and dye my own fleece. I guess the next step is to go ahead and start building a barn in the back to hold the flock.

Fiber Friday - Zitron - Avanti

This yarn is the same color and stripping pattern as the popular Trekking XXL 100 sock yarn - just in a worsted weight. I love all the bright colors. I bought these skeins awhile ago with the intentions of making a scarf.

I have a skein of the sock yarn in this color too. I should have pulled it out for comparison here. The colors seem a lot brighter here in the worsted weight than they do in the sock weight.

I don't really have any immediate plans to start knitting this up. I'm still working on my Noro Sakura sweater. I should have an update for you on the sweater next week. I've also been using my spindle. I"ll show those results too. It is getting easier, but it isn't anything to jump up and down about yet.

Yarn Details
Brand: Zitron
Yarn Name: Avanit
Color: #12
Content: 100% superwash merino wool
Skein Weight: 50 grams
Skein Length: 125 meters

Part 2 - Felting is Done

The monster of a bag is finally felted. You can see it here in all its glory on top of the washing machine. I have it blocking on a couple of old shoe boxes. I finally got the felting finished for this bag on Saturday afternoon.

I can't even tell you how many times I ran it through the washer. I have a soak cycle that agitates for a bit then stops for the soaking part. I just turn the dial back to the beginning of the soak cycle and it agitates again without having to add more water. I just keep repeating that processes until the water isn't hot anymore. I guess I save a little water that way. But it seems to take forever.

So far I'm really pleased with the results. The bag actually shrunk quite a bit. I haven't taken a tape measure out to see just how much shrinking actually occurred, but it now looks like something a human could possibly carry instead of sleeping in. I'm guessing that it shrunk by at least one third and maybe even a little more.

The bag is still covered with fuzz and yarn boogers. It was still damp yesterday and I'm hoping that when I get home tonight it is finally dry. I'd like to get the old sweater shaver out and give this thing a haircut and a quick measure so I can start thinking about fabric for the lining.

I did pull out my project bag for this and started to clean it out so I could start another project and all the ball bands from the Kureyon I used for this project came tumbling out onto the floor. There were nineteen empty ball bands and I still have a skein and a half of this color left!