Show and tell

Since I'm sure that no one really wants to hear about my holiday to-do lists which are rapidly growing if I'm going to pull everything off, I decided to share the status of my current crafting projects. That sounds much more pleasant, doesn't it? I admit that I've been retreating to my studio to spin more frequently than I probably should because "spin yarn" is not really on that list I mentioned, but it makes me happy and calm which is good for dealing with too many things to do. 

First, I have almost reached the halfway point of the yarn I need to spin for the cardigan I want to make for myself. I'm up to 550 yards out of 1300. This is what 550 yards of yarn looks like.


I go back and forth between filling bobbins with singles,


filling each bobbin on the lazy Kate,


and then plying it all together. The plying definitely goes the fastest.

I have also figured out the gauge for the sweater. Here is a swatch of what it will look like knitted up. The bottom half with be plain stockinette stitch and the top with will be a twisted cable stitch. 


Here's a close-up if that helps. 


I'll cast on the sweater with the yarn I've already made and start knitting as I continue to spin the yarn just as soon as I finish this sock. I'm almost done. I've turned the heel and just need to get the toe portion finished.


I am not worried at all about running out of fiber before I finish the sweater. Here is what I have left. Those 550 yards have barely made a dent in what's there.

That started as one pound of an alpaca/silk blend. I've probably used a tenth of what was in the bag.

This is two pounds of merino wool. (Don't worry about the price, I bought it at a steep markdown.) Only the very top of that bag has been used. I probably have enough of both types to make enough yarn for three or more sweaters, though I'm not going to do that.

Finally, because spinning wheels are a bit awkward to carry about with you, I've been working on my suspended spindle technique. The fiber is a merino that my mother bought me decades ago. I'm pretty convinced now that I will never use it up. It have become my default learning fiber. I'm actually pretty happy with the fineness and consistency of these singles. At some point I'm going to need to wind it off into a ball and ply it, though what plans I have for it past that is anybody's guess. It's going to end up being a lace weight yarn, and since I don't really knit that much lace... I'll probably end up giving it someone. 

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