Finished Object & Fiber

Finished Object & Fiber

I finished the scarf for my friend Meredith. I think she will really like it. Though the pictures really don't do it justice. The problem with the photos is that the alpaca fiber I spun is that it is dark brown & black. So it is impossible to show it off well!

Alpaca One Row Handspun Scarf with Silk Garter Edges

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Pattern:
One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/10/12/one_row_handspun_scarf.html

Needles:
US 10 / 6.0 mm Knitpicks Options


Yarn:
NorthStarAlpacas Chinella's Baby Fleece Plied with Roving from Sonata & Berringer
~130.0
2 oz of each, so 4 oz. total
Purchased at
North Star Alpacas - http://northstaralpacas.etsy.com

Second Yarn:
Silk Hankie in Madrona Colorway
Purchased at
The Yarn Tree - http://www.theyarntree.com/

I really love the fiber from North Star Alpacas. I know I have mentioned Maple before, but I can't help but say it again. She has some lovely fiber.

I had spun the yarn specifically for my friend to make a scarf. I kept debating what I wanted to pattern I wanted to make given the fiber. Given NYC has been pretty cold as of late, I figured something solid would be a good idea rather than anything lacey.

The pattern was super easy so it was a fast knit.

I only cast on 22 stitches because I wasn’t sure whether I would have enough length if I did 26. It was definitely the correct choice.

For the edges, I looked at various stitch patterns. I tried casting on the silk single I had spun. But it was just way too thin in spots. It wasn’t work well. So I did a Navajo ply on the singles to create a thicker yarn.

I decided to just do garter stitch for the edge. I had tried a couple other things, but it didn’t work well. I picked up more stitches at the edge which was a mistake. The edges bell out a bit which wasn’t the intention. But I may be seeing my friend soon so I am blocking it as is. If she hates the edges, I can take them off and redo them. Or leave it plain. Though I think plain it might look a bit masculine with the brown & black.

But the main part of the scarf is luscious and super soft. The silk at the edge could be better. I do wonder if it won't haunt me enough that I will decide to redo the edges. But I have blocked it already. So I just need to step away from the project!

Fiber

I got some Tempted Hand Painted 80% superwash merino/20% Cashmere Fiber. I order it fro the The Loopy Ewe for $26 for 4 oz. So not inexpensive stuff, but for the cashmere in the blend it isn't a terrible price either. I fell in love with the red & black. Go figure. *chuckle* And the colorway is called Roxanne. As a big Police fan in my youth, it spoke to me.

Problem is when I opened up the fiber to do some predrafting, I found the dye hadn't penetrated all the way to the center of the fiber. So there are spots in the black that look brown with some white. And the red has spots that look kinda pink. The fiber from the outside looked just red & black.

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I have dyed things so I do understand how this can happen. I had hoped it would be less noticeable once I started spinning. But there are definitely areas where the color is kinda heathered. I really wanted to Navajo ply this to keep the colors solid. But now I am not so sure.

I just wrote someone from Tempted via Ravelry. I figured the dyer at Tempted should know they need to get more dye into the center of their fiber in the future. It is my guess they didn't realize it at all given the outside was very saturated with color.

I am debating what to do with it now. I had been thinking a scarf. But now I am debating if it might be thin enough yarn for socks. I doubt it. Also, the cashmere probably won't wear well for socks. I will see what the yarn says after I ply it.

Xmas Spinning

First a random factoid. According to Knitmeter.com, I knit:

Wow! Ten and a half miles! Pretty nifty. And some of that was handspun on top of it! (I really wish that they knitmeter & ravelry were connected!!)

I gave away some handspun yarn to some knitters in my husband's family. Given they have gotten their presents, it is safe to post the pics.

Spun Alpaca from Northstaralpacas.etsy.com

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I love this fiber. Maple is always a pleasure. She is the one who got me hooked on spinning alpaca. She was sweet enough to send me some fiber when I started spinning. And like any good dealer, I mean fiber enthusiast, she got me hooked! Her fiber is lovely to spin.

I like the carmel candy like look of the two plies. I wish I could recall what type of candies had that look.

My mother-in-law seemed to really like it. She also liked the card & mini alpaca soap. Northstaralpacas always puts in such nice extras with the shipment. I figured my mother-in-law would like to see the critter her fiber came from. There is something so delightful about that. *smile*

I forgot to write down the WPI and all. I think it came out to a bit over 300 yards. And was in the 10-11 wpis. But I could be mistaken.

The fiber spins like a dream and is super soft. I think this is the softest fiber I have spun. It has a lot of loft to it.

The light fawn from Polaris was actually going to be used with the Adirondack Woolery fiber I spun. But the color combo was too muddy. So I paired it with the various creme color fibers she also sent me to sample. Think it came out really well.

Creatively Dyed Seawool (Ocean blend) - 70% wool, 30% Seacell

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This is the fiber I picked up for my sister-in-law at Rhinebeck. Her Ravelry profile mentioned her fav colors are maroon & coral. This isn't exactly coral, but the color is close. And the fiber & dyeing was too lovely to pass up.

The fiber spins like a dream. I split the braid into 4 strips. I did a little predrafting but not much. Spins easily and into a nice thin single. I did a 2 ply with it.

~333 yds

10-11 wpi (though there are thicker and thinner areas)

Adirondack Woolery Fiber

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I picked up this fiber at the Adirondack Woolery when I was up in the Adirondacks for the July 4th weekend. I saw some on one on of their wheels and really liked it.

This was intended for my mother-in-law originally. I had planned to pair it with light fawn alpaca fiber to compliment it. But when I plied it with some other fiber, it looked really muddy. So I decided to just ply it with the same fiber & give it to my niece Amanda instead. She is a knitter and enjoys bright colors. Honestly, it might have been too tame for her. *grin*

I really can't believe I forgot to take pics of the yarn plied. Oops!

I have been spending a good deal of time spinning recently. I am working on 6 oz. of luscious fiber from winderwoodfarm. It is for a project for my friend Karen. I thought it was going to be black, but he added the silver color. Given I did a purse in black & silver for her birthday present, I think this fiber will compliment it beautiful.

I found a pattern today for a 3 way scarf (Ravelry only). I think that might be kinda ideal, though I am not sure yet. It might be too open for Karen as she is always too cold now that she is back on the East coast. But I think it might work well. I will see after I have plied the yarn. Most everything I spin is bulky so far so I am not sure if it will work. I have been spinning these singles much thinner. But I am not sure if it will even be close to the DK the pattern suggests.

I am hoping to post more regularly again. Work was a zoo last month (which is weird for December.) I am hoping things have calmed down some. But it is still kinda busy. So we will see.

Spinning Talk

I picked up some black Ashland Bay alpaca a while ago. There was a pound of it at a very good price. I now know why it was so cheap.

It is terrible! It is rough and really prickly. I tried spinning it this morning. Uuuuggghhh!

The original plan was to ply it with the heavenly dark chocolate brown fiber I got from northstaralpacas. It is luscious stuff and spins like a dream. So soft and cuddly. But I couldn't possibly let such beautiful alpaca touch the horrible Ashland Bay alpaca!

I have actually tried some merino/silk Ashland Bay fiber and liked it. I was so stunned to see the difference with what should have been a lovely fiber. I don't know what they did to it but YUCK! Don't know what I am going to do with a pound of this stuff other than maybe pillow stuffing. Though even that might be too itchy! *shakes head*

I am not sure what I will decide to ply with the alpaca now. I *could* spin it with 2 oz of either fawn or more of the dark chocolate color. The dark chocolate might be the best. But I really wanted some of the chocolate for me!! *grumblechuckle* I suspect the fawn is lighter than my friend would like ideally. Might order some more alpaca from northstaralpacas after the holidays. I can't really do it before then. But I won't see my friend until after the new year. So it could work out.

The wonderful thing is that my custom order from winderwoodfarm showed up today. So I have some delicious fiber to spin. In Lime & Violet speak, it is truly lickable fiber. *grin* It is cashmere/merino/silk. It feels like a cloud. *sigh* I can't wait to spin it.

I have never spun cashmere before. But my friend loves it in clothing and such. So I figured I can make something nice out of it. *crosses fingers*

I really love it and want to keep it for myself! *evil grin* But this is the time for giving, right? *chuckle* I am working on a purse for the same friend as her birthday was in Nov.. So the grey in the batt will compliment it really well I think.

I wish work weren't being a beast! I had better get back to it. Whee!

But It's For a Friend...

So it doesn't count as my stash, right...?

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=12510223

I will spin & knit it into something for my friend Karen. But it does look so yummy I suspect I will have a hard time parting with it.

*sigh* Can't wait to get my hands on it. *grin*

The guy at winderwoodfarm was great about doing this custom for me. He dyed the fibers & blended them. Karen is a cashmere junkie so I am sure she will love it. If I can bear to let it go of course. I may just want to roll around on it. *chuckle*

My brillant hubby was looking at some silk I have on my spindle. He mentioned it was in colors that a friend of mine loves! It is brown with some greens & other colors. I also have some yummy dark brown alpaca I bought from northstaralpacas. So I am going to spin that fiber and use the silk as edging. Probably just doing a scarf for her.

I really do need to post some finished object pics. I am hoping that work is a lot less crazed this week. *crosses fingers* On the plus side, I have an extra week when I return to the office to finish the major project which I am involved with. So that is good news. I am hoping it won't be as many long nights for the coming week. I get the two weeks after off. So it should give me a good amount of time to spin & knit. *wiggles happily*

Time for bed! Though I think I am still on a fiber buzz. *grin*