"Nuttin but knittin" - that says it all, with an occasional deviation into the real world.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

2-19-10 thru 3-19-10 (Warning - primarily spinning content)

Ahhh....my last bobbin of singles!  Done!  Feels good!  
When I started spinning this sweater's worth of fiber back on Feb 19th, I had no idea how long it would take me to finish the task.  I'm happy with one month's time. 
I still need to ply the second half of the bobbins, but that won't take long, and it's just so darn much fun!  This particular fiber (Ashland Bay Colonial multi - Rainforest colorway) makes for a beautiful heathered yarn, reminiscent of  a Cascade 220 heather.  Yardage is very similar also. The color is a deep green/blue, dependent on the lighting.  I have the first 6 skeins totally finished, a nice worsted weight 3-ply. 

It appears as though they  are coming out very consistent with one another.  By dividing the length by the weight, I get a figure for each skein.  The variance is very small.  Hopefully the remaining skeins will hold true to this also.   Being a relatively new spinner, I feared that over the time, my spinning would vary.  To even out this issue, I decided that I would spin all my singles and then ply them together, NOT in the order in which they were spun.  I think it was a wise decision.  So far my experience has been that knitting with one's handpsun is very rewarding, so I am looking forward to getting started with this......I think it will be quite fun!

If my swatching is successful, I think I will knit Flyingdales (ravelry link),  from the book "A Fine Fleece".  I believe I will change the collar and front band treatment however.  I should have plenty of yardage for whatever sweater I choose.  I really like the book,  my only complaint being inadequate photographs of the finished sweaters (IMO).  I was thrilled when I discovered that Ravelry had a group for the book, complete with knitter's FO photos.  Again...Ravelry to the rescue!

We had our LAST snow storm of the season yesterday.  I'm not sure what the official amount is, but I would estimate at least 4" of the lovely white covering all over our back yard!  At least it's clean and pretty.  BG, Sofee and I had great fun exploring outside on warmer days last week.  Nearly two years of age now, BG has outgrown the need to put everything in his mouth.  It makes exploring the great outdoors so much easier! I think Sofee is hoping I will let him wander off this year.... she continues to tolerate him - and totally enjoys the weekends when he is at home!   He is growing up so quickly......he really is a sweet little guy, no matter what Sofee says!  :) 
 

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Kathy on spinning such beautiful yarn. Now I want to spin my Rainforest too. Can't wait to see your cardigan.

BG looks so cute and sweet! Sorry about your snow but are you sure it is your "last"? One of our worst snowstorms was in April.

Karen said...

Your yarn is beautiful and will make a fabulous sweater. I totally agree about the photos in A Fine Fleece. Ravelry saved me too. Also be sure to look for hints on some of the project pages for whatever sweater you decide on. I found some that were very useful.
I can't believe how big BG has gotten. He's looking more like a little boy than a baby.

Monika said...

Wow- Kathy, the singles on their temporary bobbins look so impressive, as does the finished yarn! That looks like store bought skeins. I like the pattern you've chosen, very nice!
Two years old, that such a lovely age! :o)

Dorothy said...

I was so hoping you would post spinning content. Your finished skeins are beautiful! I'm excited to see how they knit up. I just started my first project from my handspun (a scarf) and I ordered some Ashland Baby merino/silk for a specific project! Woo Hoo!! You and Pat have been such an inspiration to me. BG is no longer a baby - he's a toddler and an adorable one at that. Hmmm - maybe we should start some early matchmaking with our 2-year old granddaughter.

JakkiMitch said...

Gorgeous yarn! And I like your choice of pattern for it.

Wow! BG is nearly Two??? Already??!!
He's sure a good looking little guy :-)

Marguerite said...

Your yarn is so impressive. Looking forward to following the knitting part of the project.

BG is almost 2? I'll be thinking about that the rest of the day. It just doesn't seem possible time is flying by that quick.

Pat said...

It actually looks like skeins of Cascade - you are going to enjoy knitting this sweater soooo much and I'll enjoy following the process - have fun :-)

KnittySue said...

I love the yarn..and you made it! Spinning just amazes me...can't wait to see the finished sweater and how you change it up.

Lynn said...

Wow you are doing a fantastic job with your spinning!!!! They look great!

Unknown said...

Wow....I DID create a monster didn't I? How awesome you're spinning has become. I can't wait to see it all knit up into a sweater... I'm so proud!

bobbi said...

OMG! BG is so cute!