Fiber Tuesday
Jul. 21st, 2015 09:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
affrecaNext attempt at regularly updating.. doubt it will last. Since I did pretty good last year with focusing on naturally dyeing, I decided that I would focus on spinning this year. The goal is to spin and read from my spinning books a little every day. Despite deciding this in November, I didn't start spinning until halfway through January. I'm trying not to kick myself to much on days I don't spin, but I have a spindle project "started" so I can spin even if I'm traveling.
Reading: Currently working my way through Sarah Anderson's The Spinner's Book of of Yarn Designs: Techniques for Creating 80 Yarns.. I like the tips and pictures, and it is pretty comprehensive. She doesn't go into yarn stability as much as Jacey Boggs did in Spin Art (the last spinning book I finished), but I like that she gives examples of how the yarn looks knitted and spun.
Spinning: I finished the merino sweater spinning a week and a half ago. Hopefully it turns out to be more yarn than I need for a sweater (3.5 lbs of roughly sport weight).
I'm mostly a worsted spinner, so I decided to practice long draw. I'd collected bits of green wools, and started carding them into rolags. I lasted a day trying to woolen spin before switching to the blue Bonkers (Tencel/Merino). I'd split it into thirds for a three ply, but I'd found a length of Bonkers in green so the new plan is to make a four ply cable (inspired by the Boggs book). I finished the singles on Sunday, and so I'm back to long draw practice, on the hitchhiker to see if that works better.
Knitting: Thanks tothistleingrey (who I also stole the idea for Fiber Tuesday from), I found a new hat pattern to try, Meret. It has the one design element I'm currently looking for in my hats, room for my bun. I started it with light blue handspun meriboo, and got halfway through before realizing that I didn't have enough yardage. I thought there was a second ball in my stash. Instead I found a ball of dark blue meriboo (half knitting into a scarf), and a small ball of teal meriboo. So, ripped out all the stitches and restarted the hat with stripes of blue. Also made a beautiful set of matching stitch markers, because that's how I roll (and people keep telling me that I should incorporate the marker beads into the hat, but I think they're to big.
Social: Last Friday was KVFG's annual retreat (name changed from sleep over because some people think retreat sounds more grown up). I have managed to put off the dye day with the excuse that 95F is to damn hot), so September. Should be able to clean the house by then. Had a great time bonding with the ladies. There was definitely interest in PlyAway, and M's pile of roving made Harveyville Yarn School sound tempting. If I wasn't trying to save all my leave for Peru....
Reading: Currently working my way through Sarah Anderson's The Spinner's Book of of Yarn Designs: Techniques for Creating 80 Yarns.. I like the tips and pictures, and it is pretty comprehensive. She doesn't go into yarn stability as much as Jacey Boggs did in Spin Art (the last spinning book I finished), but I like that she gives examples of how the yarn looks knitted and spun.
Spinning: I finished the merino sweater spinning a week and a half ago. Hopefully it turns out to be more yarn than I need for a sweater (3.5 lbs of roughly sport weight).
I'm mostly a worsted spinner, so I decided to practice long draw. I'd collected bits of green wools, and started carding them into rolags. I lasted a day trying to woolen spin before switching to the blue Bonkers (Tencel/Merino). I'd split it into thirds for a three ply, but I'd found a length of Bonkers in green so the new plan is to make a four ply cable (inspired by the Boggs book). I finished the singles on Sunday, and so I'm back to long draw practice, on the hitchhiker to see if that works better.
Knitting: Thanks to
thistleingrey (who I also stole the idea for Fiber Tuesday from), I found a new hat pattern to try, Meret. It has the one design element I'm currently looking for in my hats, room for my bun. I started it with light blue handspun meriboo, and got halfway through before realizing that I didn't have enough yardage. I thought there was a second ball in my stash. Instead I found a ball of dark blue meriboo (half knitting into a scarf), and a small ball of teal meriboo. So, ripped out all the stitches and restarted the hat with stripes of blue. Also made a beautiful set of matching stitch markers, because that's how I roll (and people keep telling me that I should incorporate the marker beads into the hat, but I think they're to big.Social: Last Friday was KVFG's annual retreat (name changed from sleep over because some people think retreat sounds more grown up). I have managed to put off the dye day with the excuse that 95F is to damn hot), so September. Should be able to clean the house by then. Had a great time bonding with the ladies. There was definitely interest in PlyAway, and M's pile of roving made Harveyville Yarn School sound tempting. If I wasn't trying to save all my leave for Peru....
