Spun and knit by me! I’m stoked because this is the first time I knit something with my very own handspun and I still had one unused skein (98 yds.) and more left.
Pattern: Friday Harbor from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush Yarn: Handspun multi-colored Colonial Wool Top from Ashland Bay, Northern Lights (specs here) Needles: Addi circs (US 3 / 3.25 mm) Gauge: 6 SPI Mods: Five pat reps, extended slip st under heel
They’re thicker than what I would normally knit for socks, but they’re squishy and similar in feel as the Denmark socks I knit last year (they’re also darker than shown). Thank goodness I didn’t toss the clogs I wore while I was pregnant with Nugget since they’re a half-size larger and perfect to wear with these socks.
I spun the yarn on my Forrester Granny spindle because I wanted to re-train my fingers and eyes to spin a larger single for DK weight yarn. It was also a perfect spinning project for travel while we toured Italy, Garmisch, and Austria.
And you know what else? I love it that the name of the fiber is called Northern Lights … because someday I hope to see them for myself.
Fiber: Multi-colored Colonial Wool Top from Ashland Bay, Northern Lights Weight: approx. 6 oz. Length: 363 yds. Specs: 13 WPI, center-pull 2-ply, spindle spun on Forrester Granny with Fancy Shaft.
I finished three skeins of the DK weight yarn that you’ve seen in the previous posts — all spun and plied on my Forrester spindle. I wanted this colorway and this weight for a pair of socks that I plan to knit. It’s not superwash wool, but that’s OK. Now if I can only find those circs….
Fiber: Bluefaced Leicester from Chameleon Colorworks’ Fiber of the Month, June 2007 Weight: 4 oz. Length: 120 yds. Specs: 8 WPI, Navajo-plied, wheel spun on Kromski Sonata
Here’s some over-dyed Bluefaced Leicester (BFL). I finally had a block of time to spin on my wheel last Saturday, but the experience was hectic and I was tense — not a good combo for spinning. There was a constant battle between what my fingers wanted and what I wanted for this fiber. Sadly, I lost that loving feeling.
So, I thought I’d take a gamble and try spinning BFL on the wheel again and I was happy. Erica’s hand-dyed BFL in “Lilacs” brought back that loving feeling. I’ll spare you the details since I have more to spin :)
Let’s not forget about what’s on the spindle, too! I wanted a slightly thicker single than what I can spin on my laceweight Golding (.4 oz.), so I used my Mini Bossie instead (that loose bit is the end of the single). I never spun silk before and while I searched the Internet for information, I found this booklet: Learn to Spin Silk on a Top-Whorl Spindle. Aah, the whole process and more explained. The author, Ruth MacGregor, imparts a straight-forward, but friendly approach to spinning silk and her admiration for this fiber is infectious (in a good way)! I can’t wait for her next installment on spinning silk caps and hankies :)
Plus more fiber and yarn for future spinning and knitting …
Optim in “Tahiti” from Chamelon Colorworks.
Superwash merino fiber in “Girly.”
Superwash merino sock yarn in “Rouge.” The skein looks a bit wonky because Nugget was fixing it for the photo shoot.
The last two lovelies were hand-dyed by the multi-talented Rachel of Have You Any Wool.
I’ve found that plying with a center-pull ball, especially for a large cop, is easier than the Andean-plying method. The first time I tried using a center-pull ball it was nothing but a tangled mess, now I know better. The secret lies in keeping the center from collapsing on itself.
I’m not trying to break a record, so it’s time to ply! I used my hand for scale and if you’re wondering, the shaft of this Forrester measures 8 1/4in from the bottom of the whorl.
To wind-off, I used my ball winder. You could also use a nostepinne to wind-off your singles or a TP core as a nostepinne. All are good methods since they provide a fairly large center (and room) for your thumb.
ETA: If you’re wondering how to wind your singles from your spindle to a ball winder, here’s YouTube to the rescue (from Grace of Halalsilks):
ETA: But won’t you add twist using a ball winder? Just a little, but not enough to affect your single. When you rotate the handle clockwise on a ball winder, you create S-twist; when you rotate it counterclockwise, you create Z-twist. Try it if you don’t believe me. Take two contrasting yarns and knot the ends. Thread your yarns through the guide and take care that the contrasting yarns aren’t twisted. Keep a finger between the doubled yarn in front of the guide as you rotate the handle clockwise. Remove the yarn and check the twist. Since I spin Z-twist, I prefer to rotate the handle of the ball winder counterclockwise, a little insurance doesn’t hurt.
To slide the cake onto your thumb, place your thumb on top of the bobbin of the ball winder (right on top of that notched single so you don’t lose it) and slide the cake off. The inside end of the single should come out on the same side as your thumb.
It’s even easier using a TP core. Make sure the notched end (the one holding the inside end of your single) points toward the ceiling. Place your thumb inside the TP core, use your fingers of the same hand to keep the cake steady, and pull the TP core from the cake. The inside end of the single should come out on the same side as your thumb.
Knot ends together.
Now your thumb will keep the inside end from tangling into a royal mess and your other fingers will keep the cake from sliding off your thumb. Pinch the singles against each other using your fingers, but remember to keep your thumb in the center … yeah, I see that slub there. Sugar-Honey IT happens ;)
Hook the spindle between the singles, pull a length of singles from the cake, and start plying. Remember to keep your thumb in the center of the cake as you ply.
Plying interrupted? Place the bottom of the shaft on top of your thumb and slide the cake onto the shaft.
To keep the cake from sliding off the spindle, I slid a clean To-Go lid on the shaft (any strong plastic lid with a slit/notch will do). It’s not pretty, but it will keep everything together and your cake won’t runaway from you should it slip. This lid escaped Gelber Sack Day.
When you’re ready to ply again, just slide the cake from shaft to thumb. If your thumbnail is long, take care not to catch the insides of the cake.
Done! Nearly 134 yards of DK weight yarn came off this spindle.
If you prefer the Andean-plying method, there are several methods you can use to make it easier on your hand:
ETA: Links below.
When you’ve wrapped enough singles around your fingers, go ahead and pull the singles around your wrist for the bracelet. Wrap around your fingers again and slide off for the bracelet — continue alternating until you’re finished.
If you want something fancy, you can buy a “plying tool” (Google search).
Rock had to take leave, so we went on vacation. We packed the car and drove to Italy then Garmisch-Partenkirchen (our favorite vacation spot). We decided on an easy and flexible itinerary since traveling can be hectic for a toddler. For possible downtime, I packed my spindle and knitting — I was optimistic :)
In between wine-tasting at Rock’s favorite Italian vineyards (we bought cases of Cabernet and Refosco, BTW), sight-seeing around Aviano, and my wish to see Venice, I managed to do most of my spinning in Italy. There’s my pretty spindle at Piazza San Marco.
While in Garmisch, I managed to spin in the lobby of Edelweiss while Rock checked us out, even if it was just for five minutes. I also thought about taking it to Oktoberfest, but I didn’t want to damage it under the influence! Here it is in front of a cloud-covered alp in Austria on our way home.
I found some time the next day to ply the cop from the Forrester. The top skein was spun and plied with the spindle from my travels. It’s a 2-ply (13 WPI) from the ends of a center-pull ball wound from a ball winder (too much for an Andean bracelet). The bottom skein was spun and plied with my spinning wheel (18 WPI). I’ve always wanted to Navajo ply on my wheel and this was my first attempt with my “practice” fiber.
I was pleased that I spun enough twist in the single to keep it from breaking while I Navajo plied and it didn’t result in a wiry finish. There was so much color in the fiber I wondered if there would be a difference in plying methods. I don’t think there is, but it was a nice little experiment. I do plan to write about my transition from spindle-to-wheel in a future post and if you’re wondering … I love my wheel and I still love my spindles. The thought that I could still get my spinning fix while traveling made my spindles more valuable to me :)
Oh, and here’s a pair of socks that I finally finished. The mate was knitted while Rock drove and I wove in the ends the night we returned.
Pattern: Chevron (66 sts) from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch Yarn: Uschi Wolle Strumpfwolle Jacquard Color 217 Needles: Addi circs (2.5 mm) Gauge: 8 SPI Mods: PGR short-row heel with heel st
I wanted to try something different with self-striping yarn, so I used this pattern. It’s a snug fit, but not tight … if that makes sense. The colors remind me of our favorite gelato flavors :)
