Saturday, December 29, 2012

Happenings

I finished these pretty socks some weeks ago, but never got around to posting them. They were knit with Cherry Tree Hill yarn and no.1 needles. I love Cherry tree hill yarns. They are soft and cushy, an perhaps not the best for socks. But, they feel great on the feet. Here they are:
I've been doing quite a bit of spindle spinning, since my wheel is making all sorts of squeaking sounds. I don't know where the rubber washers are to put on it! I've accomplished quite a bit this month. Here's what I've been doing: This fiber is bfl/silk simple that accompanied my new Jenkins Lark Turkish spindle (not pictured. I enjoyed spinning it up.
This is merino/viscose yarn that was spun from pencil roving given to me a few years ago by Gayle, an online friend. I dyed it up, and spun it. This yarn took me forever! But,it was worth it since I got 1064 yds of two ply super laceweight yarn. There is a picture of the early stages of spinning in an earlier post.
This is Cotswold lamb fiber that I dyed myself. The staple length of fiber is long and shiny! I'm enjoying spinning this up, and it definitely is coming out thin.
This fiber is Shetland fleece that I combed on pet combs and spun on popsicle stick spindles. The spindle with the short arms is made by Sheree, an online friend. She first made the smaller one, and when I inquired about it, she sent one to me to try out. I loved it so much that I made the one with the longer arms. Then I purchased the small spalted birch turkish spindle from Enid Ashcroft in the UK. I have a new love for the turkish spindles, and am really pleased with the fact that when spinning is completed, there is a ball that can be plyed up right away. This is unlike other spindles where the fiber has to be removed and then made into a ball for plying (or not). Anyway, these popsicle stick spindles are amazing and cheap to make!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Finally, a FO


Merino/viscose yarn
Originally uploaded by nkosit1968
I've been very busy and too tired to post anything lately. But, I have been keeping up on the crafting as much as I can. I have finally finished spinning and plying up this merino/viscose fiber! It was a joy to spin, but a pain to ply as it spun up much finer than I had originally anticipated. However, I am very pleased with how it turned out and am thoroughly spent now that it's finished. :)