My first spinning FO!

The Shetland has been washed and dried and is ready to use. I have 3 skeins and I think this is enough for a project.

Here is an overview of the 3 skeins. I think it is roughly between fingering and sport weight.

Close-up showing the grist. That is a US quarter underneath.

The 3 skeins need to be used in sequence as one of the singles gradually increases in value from light to dark. The light is in the right and the dark is on the left in this picture. I have to label them to make sure I use them correctly.

A productive week

I started knitting this Stripe Study Shawl in natural alpaca last Wed and have made quite a bit of progress. Of course, each row gets longer and longer so it goes quickly in the beginning. I love knitting with the natural alpaca. The gray is Woodstock Knits Bare Alpaca in Silver Gray and the black is leftover from skeins that I bought at Rhinebeck a number of years ago.

I have a tip for you on how to tell whether you should increase or not when you are increasing every other row. I put 4 markers on the needle - 3 orange and 1 yellow. When the yellow is at the beginning of the row, I increase. When it is at the end of the row, I don't. I find this a lot easier than trying to keep track of it by putting a pin on the increase side. The pin tends to drop further and further below as you knit - so you have to move it up as you go. This color marking is easy and always on the needle so it is easy to check.

I also finished plying the Shetland top I've been spinning. I have to skein it and set the twist. Here are the two large bobbins of plied yarn. The color will keep changing and so don't rely on the colors that you see. I was able to ply every last bit by using a book and a pencil to create an Andean plying bracelet.

I am excited about finishing this as it is my first large spinning project. It is fairly even yarn and I think it will be very knittable.

Awash in natural tones

It seems like all the projects now are in natural tones. The RLC has been put away till the next two projects are done. The one above is what I'm knitting. It is the other end of the spectrum from the RLC in terms of needles and gauge. I am constantly marveling at how quickly it grows!

This is what is left of 8 oz of Shetland top. It will be the last of 4 bobbins. 2 bobbins were in value order from the light to the dark. That will be one single.
This is the third bobbin. It is spun in random value order and random lengths. I just reach into the bag above and pull out a color and spin it. These two bobbins will be the second single. I am enjoying this process but I really want some color!

Deadline Fail!

I wanted to finish the Rose Lace Collar by the end of April but I didn't make it. I have one sleeve almost complete. Now I have to stop to finish up a couple of other projects with deadlines before I get back to this.

You can see the sleeve here. I have a few more rounds to do before I bind off.

I added a little color detail from the yoke on the cuff. Otherwise I thought a plain pink sleeve was a little bland - both for knitting and for wearing.

Lastly, here is the finished Navajo-plied skein. I am pretty pleased with it. It looks like a real yarn and although a bit thick and thin, it is far more even than the previous one. I think this could be a nice hat or cowl.