WIP Wednesday

Shreds: A Self Designed Circle Shawl

Using my handspun to create a circle shawl has been a goal of mine for a long time. Circle shawls require a lot of yarn! Using handspun and making such a large cozy object is, in my mind, a huge undertaking.

I spun up the Inglenook Fibers Princess Bride sicklebatt set to be a laceweight yarn. It was just a beautiful blend and prep to work with, so I wanted to enjoy it for as long as I possibly could! I used a range of support spindles. Each sicklebatt fit onto its own spindle. It made color management really easy. I kept each color separate from one another, so I ended up with 6 mini skeins.

I entered that yarn into the local fair and it won a special ribbon!

I knew I wanted to turn the yarn into a shawl, but decided that I wanted to turn it into a circle shawl after I spun up a little sample of the Romney that I had begun processing. The colors just blended so very well with one another!

So, then I spent some time processing the Romney into little hand combed bundles of top. I spun the top into singles with my Pocket Wheel. I plied some of the singles. I wasn't really sure what my yardage was like, so when I filled 2 bobbins with 2-ply I decided to wash the yarn and see what my yardage was like. Well, I had plenty of yardage to knit a circle shawl using both the Princess Bride yarn and the Romney!

Now I've gotten through with the very center of the shawl and I'm up to 244 stitches (I think; either that or 288 stitches). I'm using Elizabeth Zimmerman's pi shawl math.

I'm into a color block of the Romney, but I know exactly how I'm going to use the rest of the Princess Bride colors once I'm through this section and it's going to look amazing!

Episode 23: Progress is Happening!

Hi again! It's been another week. I'm making a little bit of knitting and spinning progress, but time management has been an issue... I have tons of time, especially during the weekend, but I just seem to get stuck doing things that don't have to do with knitting or spinning!

WIPs
SKA MOCK "Winterfell" in BohoKnitterChic "Ravellenic 2014" and Cascade Heritage Sock in lime green
"Shreds" circular shawl in IF Princess Bride and Romney handspun yarns
Icelandic fleece processing + sample spin

FOs
(halfway) Moonkoosa boots - they just need to be felted!
Whiskey Lemonade handspun - 3.6oz, approx 200 yards, 8-10 WPI

Goals
Cast on and get through right before the second Latvian braid on the MOCK
Work on the Latvian Sampler KAL
Felt the Moonkoosa boots
Make progress on the Icelandic fleece!

WIP and Wordless Wednesday

The Best Kind of Surprise

I participated in a holiday swap this year. It was a mystery swap, so I had no idea who was sending me a box full of goodies! They're my favorite style of swap. It's so exciting!

I received my box yesterday and opened it after a day of work and an evening of chores. I was absolutely thrilled with what the box was stuffed with! I'll leave you all with photos and go much on my chocolate, fondle my new batts, and bask in the aroma of the handmade soap...

Episode 22: A Prehistoric FO

Well! I managed to vlog on time this week! We're off to a good start!

WIP:
Shreds, self designed shawl by me, using IF Princess Bride and Romney handspun yarns
Moonkoosa Boots by Tiny Owl Knits, using Lamb's Pride Bulky in Spruce
Winterfell socks (SKA MOCK), using BohoKnitterChic in Ravellenic 2014 and Cascade Heritage Sock in a bright green color
Whiskey Lemonade, handblended Romney, Merino, shredded sari silk noils and made into rolags

FO:
skein 1 of Whiskey Lemonade
George the Giant Squid (since stolen again by Squid the ferret)

Episode 21: Overtime, Sleep, and Very Little Knitting

Well, that whole sticking to a schedule thing definitely didn't happen this last week! I didn't even come close. Sorry about that. I worked just a few extra hours at work... 65 hours in 7 days. I did do a little bit of knitting, but I definitely didn't get as much done as I would have liked! Not a huge surprise there, though. I pretty much worked, slept, and made sure that all the fur babies were fed!

WIPs (that I actually worked on)
November MOCK "Winterfell" in BohoKnitterChic Spins Merino Nylon Sock ("Ravellenic 2014") and Cascade Heritage Sock (in some bright green color)
Moonkoosa Boots by Tiny Owl Knits in vintage Lamb's Pride Bulky (color M-52 Spruce)
Shreds by me in handspun Romney and IF Princess Bride

Stash
I'm lucky enough to have family who have knit in the past. One of those family members gifted me a box of vintage Lamb's Pride Bulky in the Spruce colorway. I am now the proud owner of 7 skeins of the stuff! It's definitely enough for a few pairs of slippers and a set of Moonkoosa boots!

I have no FOs to share this time around! Maybe next week... Maybe... If I'm lucky!

Though I did dig out a couple mostly finished projects that need very little work before they're done. Like my George and a cowl that just needs to be seamed up. Maybe I'll have those finished lol