I crochet-steeked per Meg Swansen's instructions in "Sweaters from Camp". It was pretty interesting, and I didn't even flinch when I cut into the fabric. But it's very sturdy (except for 1 place where I crocheted the wrong stitches together), and I'm going to have to start an I-cord border soon. Well, someday.
In the meantime, I'm an extremely proud mama because of this:
This, lords and ladies, is the very first knitting done by my 3-year old son! He has not yet completed a row, and this is actually 2 sessions-worth, but those stitches on the right-hand needle were done by him (yes, I did help a little, but his hands were on the needles at all times). He's a thrower. However, he's still more interested in the ball-winder, and who can really blame him? He IS only 3! The point is that he's knitting. I'm busting!
Alright, what else do I have to say for myself for 2 weeks? Oh, the 2nd hand-dyed sock is coming along
The heel flap is just about done. It would have been done had I remembered to carry along the Wooly Nylon the FIRST time I knit it. I guess I can be grateful I remembered it at all.
But most of my time has been devoted to this:
That is my THIRD skein of Blackbird (alright it's still singles, but it's pretty darn close) on my very own WOOLEE WINDER!!! I LOVE this thing! It's so worth the money. It kind of freaks me out that my Symphony is now worth about $600, but I'll get over it.
Anyway, back to Blackbird. Well, it turns out that during the making of my first skein, I found that there were A LOT of neps and it was pretty slow-going while I picked only some of them out. That is the middle skein seen below.
For the second skein (the one on the right), I wanted to see what would happen if I did a little more prep. So I started flicking the locks individually with a dog comb, and found that the light tips of this fleece literally break right off! So, it's a "tippy" fleece, and will require that I comb EVERY single lock. Do you know how bad that sucks? But I love the fleece despite it's MAJOR flaw, and I went ahead and started flicking. The carding was way smoother as was the spinning.
The only thing (of course there's something) is that the 2 skeins do not match, since the 1st skein is lighter than the 2nd. At first I thought it was the tips, but then I noticed that the very first yarn I made (the stuff on the left) matches the 2nd skein. I guess I had just carded a bunch of lighter grey fleece without making sure I had enough dark blended in as well. Lesson learned.
And now, I must introduce you to the newest members of my wooly family. Here is Snowy, a Romney lamb:
And here is Posey, a Romney ewe:
Aren't they just gaw-geous! These are so next-to-the-skin soft and so fluffy that I just wanted to lie down on them once they were done drying in the sun. These are famous "McNair" Romneys offered at Homestead Wool and Gift Farm (link is in my sidebar), and they go pretty fast. Sandy is just the sweetest person ever, and I'm always glad to help support her fiber family.
Alright, that's enough for today. I'll try to go back to posting weekly so I don't slam you like this again!
2 comments:
WOW, you are busy spinning. How interesting! Thus far I've not been interested in spinning, but the more I read the more intriqued I become.
I still don't know if I can cut into my knitting...time will tell, yes?
congrats on teaching your son to knit. I've been wondering about when to start my 5 yr old daughter. We tried the loom knitting a couple of weeks back and she found it a bit frustrating. Maybe next year.
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