Close to my Heart

Tour de Fleece Entry #1

I've joined the Tour de Fleece (Ravelry link) this year, and am on the Van Isle Team.  My goal for this year is to successfully conquer the Navajo Ply technique.  I have been trying a bit of this with whatever is left when I finish making a two ply yarn.  The first results were pretty bad, but I've been making very gradual improvement.  Armed with some Louet Northern Lights pencil roving, which is probably the easiest fiber ever to spin but also something that is fairly inexpensive yet nice, I was ready to start the first leg of my own personal Tour.  I filled the bobbin on Sunday night, and yesterday afternoon, I was ready to Navajo Ply an entire bobbin for the first time.  I'm quite thrilled with the result. 

There is much room for improvement, yet at the same time, I'm pleased enough to know that this is already my preferred method of plying.  I now will concentrate on spinning consistent and thin singles.  My main problem is rushing too much, must slow down to get the results I want. 

Transformation

Thanks for all the comments on my last post.  When I said that no one was reading here, it really wasn't to illicit comments, but since every blogger lives for comments, I really did appreciate it.  The fact is though, that since the advent of Ravelry, my stats show that my visitors are about half of what they once were.

I have more handspun to show you today.  Spinning this yarn was an interesting experience for me.  I chose some fiber that had been in my stash for a year, since Victoria Fibre Fest 2007, this is Sweatermaker 80% Merino 20% Tussah Silk purchased from Fun Knits. 

The reason it was one of the oldest fibers in my stash is simply because even though I purchased it, once I had it home I was somewhat underwhelmed by it.   Nevertheless, I decided last week that the time had come to spin it.

Once the spinning begun, everything changed.  I all of a sudden loved this fiber, and the way the singles were spinning up:

Once the yarn was plied, I was again underwhlemed.  I washed the yarn, hung it to dry, and kind of forgot about it.  When I looked at it again a few days later, I was astounded at how washing had worked miracles, and it became my favourite handspun yet.  It's soft and sqooshy and I love the pretty colours.

So I'm a happy spinner who needs to figure out what to knit with this, probably light worsted to sport weight (spun on the middle ratio of my Lendrum) that I need to check the WPIs on.  There's about 77 yards.

The Age of Aquarius

I don't think anyone really reads blogs much anymore, everyone is over at Ravelry!  Nonetheless, I'm maintaining my blog to talk to myself if nothing else.  Today I have still more handspun to show you.  I'm quite pleased with how this Aquarius colourway roving from The YoYo spun up, using the middle ratio of my Lendrum.  It spun like a dream, this time there were no underspun areas, and no breakage at all while plying on my Louet.  Here's the pics, from roving to singles to an actual skein of plied yarn:

In other news, I've joined Tour de Fleece, riding spinning for Team Van Isle.  My goal....to successfully Navajo ply and knit with the resulting yarn.

Well I just finished photographing another handspun skein, but I think rather than re-edit this post and eliminate some of the pictures I've already uploaded, I'll save that for another day.  Let's just say that it might be my favourite handspun yet, and the fiber had been in my stash for a year.  Yay for stash busting.  So stay tuned.....  Oh, and I'm on Plurk as closetomyheart...please come Plurk with me!

The First Skeins

Here are the first couple skeins spun on my new Lendrum wheel (plied on the ol' Louet):

Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of breakage while plying due to areas being underspun, particularly in the second skein.  I blame this on not being quite used to the scotch tension.  I have actually more successfully spun a couple skeins since, and now seem to have remedied this problem.

Details:  The Blue Skeins are Louet Northern Lights in the Violet Colourway from Fun Knits, the Second is A Quiet Morning from Colorful Life.  Tons more pictures (well of the Northern Lights anyway) over at my Ravelry stash page.

Back to work for me today after a lovely Canada Day.

The Last and the First

Here's the last couple skeins that I spun up on my Louet before leaving for Victoria last week. The first is from etsy seller Mainewoodsyarn, merino in the Vineyard colourway:

I actually didn't like this when I first had it plied up, but after my weekend in Victoria, it was all washed and dried and I quite like it now.

The next skein is a silk/romney blend that was an absolute dream to spin.  It was purchased from Hummingbird Fibre Arts, a fairly local to me seller.  There is 185 yards and approximately sport weight.  I can't wait to knit this up.  Oh, and I just may have purchased several more rovings from them last weekend!

These skeins will probably be the last totally spun on my trusty Louet.  Now that I have my Lendrum, I will spin on that and ply on my Louet.

Speaking of my Lendrum, despite a busy week, I have managed to spin every night so far.  Here are the first singles I have spun, the first is Louet Northern Lights purchased at the Fibre Fest from Fun Knits:

This is also my new Ravatar picture.  Here's the second single, the Quiet Morning Colourway from Etsy seller Colorfullife.

I finished spinning the second bobbin of this last night, so it is ready to ply tonight or tomorrow night.

Well the clock says it's time to get ready for work now, so I better get moving.  Next post will likely be the show and tell of the fiber I purchased last weekend at the Fibre Fest.   Pictures are all taken, just need to be organized.

Tulips

One of the nice dangerous things about Etsy is the abundance of Indy dyers.  I showed a fair amount of restraint when my fiber purchases only consisted of yarns, however since I've had a wheel, I've been spinning through a fair amount of fiber, thus need to continually add to my stash.  If you check my Ravelry stash page, I have added the majority of my recent fiber acquisitions.

One of the new arrivals in the last week or two was this lovely Corridale Roving in the Tulip colourway, from the Exclusivelylindalee Etsy Shop.  Uli actually bought it first, and showed off the listing on the Canadian Etsy forum her and I frequent.  Well within minutes of clicking on the link, I'd added it to my cart.  Here's what it looks like:

Corriedale is a lovely fiber to spin up.  In the end I had about 109 yards when plied.  I am spinning consistently thinner and am getting more yardage from what are typically four ounce braids.  So why is it that the yarn always seems to be more or less worsted weight?  Anyhow, here's what the final product looks like, first on the niddy noddy:

And all skeined up, with the backdrop of the rocks on our fish pond (which I think makes quite an attractive background, if I do say so myself):

This weekend is the Victoria Fibre Festival.  I'm making a long weekend of it and heading down on Friday.  I'm trying not to succumb to any more Etsy Fiber purchases prior to this weekend, but the jury is still out as to whether or not I will succeed.  There are just too many temptations!

Back to spinning now, and then finishing a little bag I'm knitting with my own handspun.

More Yummy Yarn

Quick post here at bedtime.  I've had a nice three day weekend (SO thankful for Flex Days).  I spent lots of time knitting on my Adamas shawl, and am now one-third of the way into the edging.  All going well, I will block her this weekend.  I spun a little bit, and am quite thrilled that I'm spinning quite a bit thinner now and therefore getting a lot more yardage from typical 4 ounce braids of roving.  Today I have still more handspun to show you, once again from Yummy Yarn.  I actually didn't spin it this weekend but the previous weekend.  By the time the yarn is spun, plied, and washed, it seems I'm at least a week behind blogging it. 

Anyhow, what started as this:

Eventually became this single:

Which was plied:

Wound around the niddy noddy:

And after its bath, all skeined up:

Past my bedtime so must run.  Night!

Catch Up

I should have posted much sooner than this, but the last few days I've been knitting somewhat obsessively on my Adamas Shawl (Ravelry Link).  I have 3 1/2 pattern repeats to go before starting the edging.  There are 10 rows in each repeat, and hundreds of stitches on the needle, so it is a bit slow going at this point.  I am hoping to have moved onto the edging by the end of the coming weekend.  It is fairly simple lace, and I'm enjoying knitting this a lot.  I haven't even spun this week since I'm so into this shawl!

I am still however behind in blogging my handspun, so this post will be a bit of a summary.  For more details and pictures, please visit my Ravelry handspun stash page here.

First up is my current favourite handpun.  It's pink, soft and smooshy and I can't wait to knit it:

I have a pattern picked out and plan to cast on tomorrow. 

A few weeks ago, I finished spinning this:

And below,  my worst spinning job yet.  I loved spinning top on my spindle, but it took a lot more getting used to on the wheel.  I would either draft too much and break the fiber, or not enough and it would be too thick:

The only good thing about this handspun is that I learned a lot while spinning it.  I changed how I drafted by the time I finished spinning this yarn (I later learned from one of my spinning books that I am now doing a backwards draft) and as a result, am now spinning significantly thinner yarn, so it's all good!

And for all you kitty lovers out there, I'm happy to report that Frisbee has become much more brave and has moved further way from the doorstep:

Yummy Cranberry and Chocolate

Hopefully my readers aren't tired of spinning updates, because there will continue to be lots of them here.  My sock mojo has however returned, and there may actually be a sock knitting update soon.  Warning before I get going here....this is a picture heavy post.

Yummy Yarn may just be my favourite indie dyer.  I've been quite pleased with the results from spinning their roving, and actually have more on the way to me.  When I recently posted about another Yummy roving I had spun, I showed lots of pictures of the different stages.  As readers seemed to enjoy seeing the progression, I think I will regularly post about my spinning in that manner.  The result, as I said, does make for a picture intensive post, but I think that is better than a picture less post, so here goes.

The roving, Cranberry and Chocolate BFL, started like this:

The next stage was the spun single on the bobbin:

I already showed you the plied yarn on the bobbin, but here it is again, highlighting the uneven job I did of filling the bobbin.  Oh well!

The next step was to wind it around my niddy noddy:

Then it was time for it's bath, after which it was hung outside to dry:

And here it is, all skeined up:

How about a close up:

Have I mentioned that I love spinning?

Happy Mother's Day

I'm coming to you from a different location tonight.  I had to head out of town this afternoon because I'm on a course this week.  Said course starts at 8:30 tomorrow morning, and since I'm not really into leaving home by 5:30 in the morning, I came down this afternoon.  I'm checked into a lovely B & B with wireless internet.  Unfortunately, I kind of screwed up the password, and I'm a wireless newby so after an hour of screwing around with the computer myself, I finally caved in and phoned tech support. I ended up with a rather cranky person at the other end of the line, first she told me she couldn't help me and hung up.  Well I didn't accept that and called back again.  She was still cranky and it took her a while, but she did get me back on.  Her male co-worker was much more helpful when I needed other assistance yesterday, sure wish he had been on shift tonight.  Oh well!

I did make a couple Mother's Day cards this weekend.  My MIL has received her gift and card, my own mother will receive hers when I see her later this week.  I made the same card for both Moms:

I also made a quick Anniversary Card, my parents FIFTY FIRST is next weekend:

The 1 1/2 day weekend that I had was quite busy getting ready for this trip.  I will be having spinning withdrawal, since I wasn't able to bring my wheel with me.  I did a bit of spinning last night and this morning.  Last night, I plied some more yarn from Yummy Yarn:

Obviously I did a very lousy job of winding it evenly around the bobbin! 

I also started spinning some Cherry Tree Hill fiber that I purchased last month from Fun Knits:

I just realized that I didn't take a picture of this fiber before spinning it up, unfortunately.  To me it looks like ice cream, and the picture of the single really doesn't do it justice.

Excuse the lack of links with this post, I'm not used to this laptop keyboard and want to finish this post now.  Plus I really need to do some work stuff, since that is really why I have this with me.  Have a great week!