Monday, August 17, 2009

Ok, so I'm late...

But, I have a hat. And not just any hat... A knitted hat! Woo! I love it, I love it, I love it!

It's the Chunky Slouch Cap pattern that you can download on Ravlery for free by clicking on the link... Mine didn't turn out so slouchy, more beanie style, but it's ok, it's still super pretty! I doubled my handspun with some Lion Brand Wool-Ease that I had in my stash to make the bulky weight and cast on 48 st instead of 40. I think my gauge is really too small on this tho, cause I have a pretty small head :) I also only did 4 rows of the ribbing instead of 8 because I was worried about running out of yarn. I didn't, so I probably could have done the full 8 rows and my 75-80 yards of handspun would have been perfect. Oh well, maybe next time!

Oh, and I promised a picture of my yarn all wound into a ball, didn't I?

Totally overspun (see all the little kinks?) but hey, it was my first try, right? It still turned out gorgeous, and of course this picture doesn't do it justice at all! I have another braid of roving from FLUFFfibers and can't wait to spin it up, but first, I have an anniversay present to finish (for my bro/sis-in-law, 5 years in September!)...

Saturday, August 8, 2009

My Own Handspun... Parto Uno

I have a new obsession... Pretty, pretty, soft, soft, soft, GORGEOUS unspun roving! Looky...

I bought it from Coley's Etsy shop, FLUFFfibers. This stuff is soooo fantastic! I purchased another colorway first, but then saw this one in her "Sold" items and begged for a recreation... It was done in like a day... I swear, SO FAST!

Anyways, here's an in-progress pic... I think this is the most interesting part of hand spinning, when you draft the fiber before spinning. I split my braid of roving in 7-8 sections first and then each section had to be drafted. (If you're interested, visit youtube and search for drop spindle. There are tons of instructions.) This picture shows the predrafted fiber on the right and the drafted, even fluffier fiber on the left.

And here's my finished, approximately 80 yards, single ply yarn. Soaking before going outside to dry in the hot Central CA sun...

Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll show you the finished product, all wound up in a pretty ball! And, if I can't help myself, which I'm sure could happen, maybe something made with it! I'm thinking this hat, maybe?