I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can

What is it about handspun yarn that makes the most mundane project seem special?

I knit these fingerless mitts on the plane from Salt Lake to Boston last week. There are more photos on the project page on Ravelry. The project was based on this pattern I did for Knit Picks a couple of years ago, except I knit them in the round instead of flat and I also adjusted for the different yarn weight.

Admittedly, they look a bit odd until you put them on. Then they fit . . . well . . . like a glove:

The yarn was spun from some luscious merino roving I got from Copper Pot Woolies. (Yes, Beth, the yarn is a tiny bit purple; but it’s orange, too!)

I spun it worsted with a short, forward draw and then wet finished it to really soften up the colors and forestall the inevitable pilling that comes with merino.

In all honesty, I wasn’t sure about the colors in this roving until it was spun and plied. Then I loved it. Proof, yet again, that you should trust the wonderful people who blend batts to concoct something that will look fantastic spun up.

Best of all, I have more of the same fiber in a different colorway just waiting its turn in the spinning queue.

I got back home late last night and I’m exhausted.

In short, Rhinebeck was everything I knew it would be, and then some.

Details tomorrow.

Let’s begin with the last day.

On the last afternoon of the fiber festival, Margene, Teresa, Carole, and I took a dyeing class. The premise was to produce roving which, when spun up and then knit, results in two identical socks.

We wet two pieces of roving and set them out on a piece of plastic wrap, parallel to each other.

It was quite windy that afternoon and we had a difficult time keeping the plastic wrap from sticking to itself. Margene got frustrated and let loose a string of expletives, shocking the class (and herself) with her potty mouth:

After applying the dye, you wrap up the roving in the plastic wrap and steam it.

Here’s what mine looked like after steaming:

Then you remove the plastic wrap and set it out to dry:

The roving should be fun to spin up (yellow? what yellow?). However, I’m a dedicated pre-drafter so I might tear mine into strips and not worry so much about making 100% identical socks.

And where was Kim through all this?

I tell ya, that grrl.