I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

When I’ve not been following the train wrecks taking place in the forums on Ravelry, I’ve been spinning up some of the bags and bags of roving that are stored throughout my house. But, it’s been slow going since I’m not the world’s fastest spinner; I tend to be a bit . . . well . . . meticulous.

First up is a skein of single-ply yarn I spun from a merino batt I bought at Copperpot Woolies. I really wish you could reach your hand into the monitor and feel it because it’s unbelievable soft.

It weighs a little under 100 grams and I’d call it light-fingering weight.

I think I’ll use it to make either a Forest Canopy Shawl or the wrap I’m designing for the Wooly Wonka lace club.

The single-ply was a nice break after the yarn I spun the weekend before:

This is 400 yards of 3-ply that I spun from some Coopworth roving that Margene gave me for my birthday last August. I believe it was dyed with madder and cochineal.

The finished hank weighs about 6 ounces. The fibers were a bit rough to spin but I set the twist by soaking it in some really hot, soapy water and it softened up considerably. There was also a huge amount of excess dye that bled out of the finished yarn. Enough that it changed the color of the yarn ever so slightly.

Two bags down, thirty-something more to go.

There have been a lot of packages containing yarn and fiber gracing my doorstep in the last few weeks. In my defense (assuming I need one), some have contained yarn for “secret” projects. But, admittedly, the vast majority have surfaced as the result of the undeniable lure of online yarn shopping.

I’d first like to warn everyone that Jen at Woolgirl is evil . . . evil beyond belief. Who does she think she is, enticing me by wrapping those packages up so nicely with real ribbon, candy, and assorted prezzies.

Plus, now she’s having a sale! It won’t work on me, Jen. Nope. I’ve already bought all you have to offer and plenty from other vendors, too:

Three Irish Girls sock yarn:

Dream in Color Smooshy:

Das Schneeschaf sock yarn:

PidgeonRoof Studios sock yarn:

Family Pendragon sock yarn:

VanCalCar Acres Flock Sock yarn:

And more sock yarn! These are all from Kim at the Woolen Rabbit.

And there’s fiber, too! The last two selections from the Hello Yarn fiber club:

I think I have enough to keep me busy for a while.

What’s this, you say. Two posts in two days. Nearly unbelievable.

I figured it was time to blog about the baby socks I made while I was in Denver before I forget the details.

Pattern: Pieces of Eight Baby Socks
Yarn: my handspun, spun from roving dyed by Margene
Notes: I followed the pattern exactly as written except I worked the leg for 18 rnds instead of 16. And believe me, I was wishing I had those two rnds back when I got to the toe of the second sock.

What you see in the photo is all the yarn I had left. And, although today is April 1st, I’m not joking! I love to cut it close with the yarn but this was uncomfortably close. And, since this was handspun . . well . . . you get the idea.

Hence–       G is for . . . *GULP*