February Spinning and Events

I'm going to try to put out 2 posts this weekend.  So look for a second post later.

I have been doing some spinning because in this amazing cold you want to work with lots of wools.

I finished plying the rainbow yarn.  I think I'm missing one of the purples.  Not sure.  This whole project was a blur!  I THINK I had another skein that was all purple, but maybe it's in a bag somewhere.  I'll find it I'm sure. :)

I really like the dark polwarth carded with the sparkle.  I think I'll make a little more of that up, and then do a striped blanket!

When finding room in the craft room for that yarn I came across some of my first handspun, Some Miss Babs Merino Silk blend in a lovely gold she called Helio.  It was a two ply that I remembered being very proud of, it was fine and delicate.  And Now I see that it wasn't really plied so much as ... set next to each other to do it's own thing.  Kind of like some of those group projects you've had to work on at school.

There were spots that were OK, but others you can clearly see one ply just doing its own thing!  Not ok, all plies must work together.  I ran it through my wheel again.  That is to say, I set this up on my swift and with my wheel spinning in the direction I plied, I fed this yarn through it again.  This added more twist in the plying direction, firming the yarn right up!

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!  Everything all together.

I worked with the "left-over" fiber from when I taught my friend to spin in December.  It was some 100% wool top from Lorna's Laces in the Whitewater color.  It's very pretty mix of blues and white.  Although I suspect it may have sat for a while, as it was pretty compacted.  The blues didn't want to draft well and yarg.  I was glad when I could start plying.  Although I had started with about 20 ounces of it before the spinning lesson.  I maybe gave a half ounce for her to play with.  So I have a lot.  I decided to do a 5 ply out of the singles.  I wound them off onto toilet paper rolls, because of how handy they are.

Then I used my handmade (by my dad) lazy kate annd the flyer for my sidekick (the wheel) to manage my "bobbins."  I have over 600 yards of a very squishy aran to light bulky weight yarn.  SQUISH THIS!

I plied this on my Heavenly Hanspun Vespera Espinner.  It's a handy little machine and look at the size of those bobbins!  They hold about 8 ounces.

I have more spinning to talk about but I will wait till March.

As far as Events go, I plied my 5 ply for the Ravellenic Winter Games (colors are appropriate right?) and I knit a couple kits.  I did one other spinning project, but again ... you can wait a week right?

The kits were from vintage stash.  One was from Stitches Midwest 2008, my first Stitches Event.  I was overwhelmed and some odd things came home with me.  It was wonderful.  I got a Sweaterkit from a booth there.  It was the Bear Cub Cardigan, child's sweater.  I have no idea what I'll do with the sweater, but it's done.  Although I didn't do ears.  I didn't like them much once I sewed the whites to the middle.  I might have to work on that and attach them later.

The second was a Christmas 2011 Holiday gift from my mother (I think it was 2011).  A Penguin Pillow Kit!  The pattern is still available on their website, but the kit is not.

I made several changes to this little guy.  One, I knit him in the round, from the beginning using the entarsia in the round techniques I heard on Amy Beth's Fat Squirrel Speaks Podcast.  I don't think she really teaches the method so much as mentions it.  I kind of thought, oh! that's not too hard.  So my little penguin looks a little wonky under ONE of his arms, but don't go looking!  It's rude.  I also changed the shaping on his arms and made his beak in the round in stockinette.

I don't think I've been more proud!  He also won me a prize in the group I knit for.  The Knitting Dead group on Ravelry gave me this badge and I won a provision.  I can't wait to see what I won!

Events on the horizon:  Yarn School Spring 2014, Dye, Spin, Weave, Friends, Food, Wine Yay!
Yarn Con 2014, Plumbers Hall and Indie Dyers!
A Patsy Z Class with my Guild!