yarn

Playing Catch-up

Posted on by Dan

It’s really quite astounding how quickly time sneaks by. There are several crafty updates that I want to share before the next round of goodies (which are finished — just waiting their turn in front of the camera).

I’ve finished spinning the 12 oz. of Corriedale (dyed four colors in 3 oz chunks). You may recall earlier posts (here and here), charting the progress. It really wasn’t that big of a project, it just took me a long time to finish.

Handspun - Corriedale

Handspun - Corriedale

These are also 3 oz. skeins with approximately 300 yards a piece. In total I have about 1,300 yards of 2-ply yarn in four colors that could very well work together, or on their own. No project in mind, yet…

Virginia wrapped up another pair of socks. This time using a stitch pattern from the book “Sensational Knitted Socks” and knitting with three colors of ShiBui yarn.

Sock #16 (52 Sock Challenge)

A few more pair nearly fell off the radar because I have been so slow in updating this blog.

Sock #15 (52 Sock Challenge)

Sock #14 (52 Sock Challenge)

Last, but certainly not least, Virginia celebrated her birthday last week.

Bouquet

Nothing brightens the home like the last flowers of the farmer’s market season.

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Boards, part four (with added sock & spinning goodness)

Posted on by Dan

I’m going gangbusters with all the building. The weather has been so amazingly cooperative that I have to take advantage of it… knowing there is such a limited supply of good weather in Minnesota. The next thing converted from the old deck is this:

Chair made from old deck

We don’t live on the east coast, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what will be our patio (see the dirt behind the chair?) on our new adirondack chair(s). I’m still working on the second, but this one, besides needing some waterproofing, is definitely usable.

Surprisingly, I was even able to finish another 3 oz. of Corriedale top that we dyed up. This is 2-ply and approximately 330 yards.

Handspun - Corriedale

I’ve got two more dyed bundles of this (different colors), that will hopefully be spun around the same weight (if I don’t fall out of practice from all the woodworking I’m doing), so I’ll end up with four yarns of about the same weight and yardage to use together (or separately, if Virginia decides she wants to use one).

Speaking of Virginia; she’s finished another pair of socks knit from some worsted weight wool that she dyed up awhile ago. Knit on size 3US needles, they have a denser fabric to help make them wear longer.

Sock #9 (52 Sock Challenge)

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Lots of Goodies

Posted on by Dan

Despite our house being in chaotic limbo (we’re putting the finishing touches on our bathroom) the craftiness must go on. And, we’ll both represent in this post (as well as our yard).

Socks-a-Plenty
Virginia wrapped up two more pairs of socks.

vknit_socks_92

These are from her never-ending supply of Meilenweit.

vknit_socks_93

And, these are knit from Socks that Rock lightweight from Blue Moon Fibers (sorry, I can’t remember what colorway I bought for her — ’twas a long-ago birthday present).

Yes, That’s Spinning Below
I debated posting this freshly-spun yarn, since I still have 9 more ounces of this Corriedale that I dyed up in four three-ounce segments. But, since they are all very different in color, I’ll post them individually. Once they are all spun up I’ll probably revisit them as a group for a single project.

Handspun - Corriedale

This is a single skein. There are approximately 319 yards of 2-ply yarn from 3 oz. of top.

Garden Delights
Our yard is pushing through the various floral stages, with new surprises practically every day. We are fortunate to have plenty, so bringing some indoors to enjoy makes hardly a dent on the supply outside.

Lily of the Valley

Our neighbors think this shade-loving ground cover is a nuisance and keep whacking away at the ones encroaching on their property. We, however, love the Lilies of the Valley. Grass is sooo over-rated.

Iris

And, I think the Irises are early this year. These come and go quickly, so we really have to be present and enjoy them while they bloom. I love how intricate these flowers are, and have tried to capture that in this close-up photo.

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Spinning, Even More Socks

Posted on by Dan

No sooner do I post a finished pair of Virginia’s socks when I see another pair off the needles and blocking.

vknit_socks_91

And, since the blogging police are insisting we disclose all information pertaining to our projects, the above socks were also knit using Meilenweit (this pair, the 6-ply sock yarn). The pattern is one of Virginia’s creations. She knit them on size 2.5US needles (double points). Let’s see… the photo was taken on our deck at about 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Air temperature was a perfect 68˚F (actually a little cool in the breeze, but nice, nonetheless). Anything else?

On to spinning…

Back from an extended absence, I’ve managed to finish 8 oz. of dark Icelandic roving (it’s from the lamb, so it’s nice and soft). I picked this up last year from Riverwinds Farm, who had a booth at Shepherd’s Harvest. They do such a great job in preparing their fiber. I look forward to buying from them every year.

Handspun - Icelandic Lamb

There are a total of 394 yards of 2-ply yarn. The wheel is all clear now, so I have the exciting activity of picking out what to spin tonight!

Hope the weather in your neck of the woods is a great as it is here.

ETA: In case you haven’t figured it out, the photos are now bigger. So, you can click them to see a larger version… you know, for more detail.

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