This week has been all about spinning because I am participating in Tour de Fleece which is a Ravelry challenge where I am to spin every day the riders are riding. (get it? Tour de France? Tour de Fleece?) I have spun six days in a row, which for me is a record.
I have spun about 100 gms of plied wool. The first bobbin was a two ply,
and the second was a three ply. I had to Chain ply, or Navaho ply, the last bit because two of my bobbins ran out before the third one.
I also plied a small amount of yarn I had on my drop spindle. I used the Andean hand-plying technique which was very quick and easy.
And then I knit with my homespun, because I am knitting a shawl only with handspun.
I also catalogued all my fibre stash so now I know where it is and it is entered into my Ravelry database so I can keep easily keep track of my progress.
This week I also added two more squares to my sock yarn blanket, 685 done out of 780 needed. The end is in sight!
And I got to tier two on my Diamondback socks.
because I am knitting the mate to this
Whew!
All this amidst missing cat (who is now found), and swimming, and the odd sinkful of dishes!
Stay tuned every Sunday for an update on my Year of Projects. You can see my list by clicking on the featured post on the righthand side of my blog.
Okay, off to spin a little before yoga to add to this that I started last night.
Gosh, such a lot of projects, love all the spinning.
ReplyDeleteI am retired so have LOTS of time to spin and knit. Lucky me.
DeleteYour spinning is beautiful! Love the socks!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am a rookie spinner but loving it.
DeleteMaryAnne, I love the diamondback socks. They are quite striking and the color you are doing them in is perfect. I admire anyone that spins. It looks so complicated to me. That and I am allergic to wool, so that pretty much leaves spinning out for me. Your sock yarn blanket is pretty too. How big of a bed will it fit when you are completed. That's a lot of squares.
ReplyDeleteKingsized bed = king sized project! eek!
DeleteLots of progress. Well done :)
ReplyDeletelol....the weather has been awful so I don't feel guilty spinning and knitting inside while watching Game of Thrones and other netflix binges.
DeleteWould love to do a sock yarn blanket like that,nit is stunning and will sure keep you warm Love those snazzy socks too. Leah x
ReplyDeletelol. it keeps me too warm while knitting it - so it is best knit on cold rainy days, which unfortunately we have had too many of lately.
DeleteLove the spinning and that sock blanket leaves me breathless 780 ...!
ReplyDeleteI started it in 2014 during the winter olympics ravellenics. Hope to be done by the end of this year.
DeleteWow, everything looks wonderful, Mary-Anne. Your spun yarns are pretty. How satisfying spinning beautiful yarns must be. And that sock yarn blanket - WOWEE! It's big. And gorgeous. And I must need new glasses. I first read that sentence after the picture of the socks as you having found your kitten swimming among the odd sinkful of dishes. LOL. Hopefully kitty's safe and dry and your dishes soon clean.
ReplyDeleteKeep rocking the socks. The pattern on the one pictured is pretty cool.
oh, that is funny - I had better go back and check my punctuation!
DeleteA post full of lovely progress. My favourite has got to be the homespun shawl, and those socks of course. I have a niece living in France and sometimes joins the Tour de France there. She's a cycling fanatic and amazes me with cycling UP the mountain roads. Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about cycling.....that is why Tour de Fleece is much more doable!
DeleteYou had one, productive week and of such a great variety.
ReplyDeletelol. One could call it ADHD - I get bored with one wip and off to another!
DeleteYou've certainly had a very busy week. Love the look of your handspun wool - really beautiful. Gorgeous looking socks too. xox
ReplyDeleteThank you - I am really enjoying Tour de Fleece and am happy with what I am making.
DeleteYou are Wonder Woman with taste in yarn!
ReplyDeleteand taste for Pinot Grigio too! ;)
DeleteMary-Anne...welcome and I am so glad there is a spinner in our midst. I want to try on a drop spindle this year as I LOVE homespun yarn and now my goal is to become a spinner. I love your homespun and your sock blanket rocks! Are those all socks you made? I'm retired too but still don't get as much done as you! You go girl! Very glad you found the cat!
ReplyDeletesocks,mitts,shawls and a purse - and a few balls from my sister (although she mostly knits with worsted). The blanket is definitely a memory piece. I am trying to get back to my drop spindle for when I go on long camping trips. And yes, I am glad the cat came back!
DeleteYou are way ahead of me on your Diamondback socks!! I am on tier three of each sock... Love your scrap-ghan as well - is it in sock weight yarn?
ReplyDeleteyes, it is fingering weight. You are doing your diamondback's taat? Wow. The second one is going much faster since I did all my learning (and mistakes) on the first one.
DeleteSo much done for your first week, well done! Love all the spinning, spinning is something I wish I had more time to try, so I shall look on at yours with great interest. I can't wait to see the shawl made out of the handspun!
ReplyDeleteI am loving the shawl - finally something knit out of handspun and now I am feeling brave enough to spin enough to make a sweater for myself - it'll be worsted weight though.
DeleteMmm....spinning.....I hate chain plying with the fire of a thousands suns (because I'm terrible at it)....so almost all my yarns are two-ply. I'm going to make a three-ply out of three different bobbins and I'm going to hope & pray that they all work out to about the same amount. We'll see :)
ReplyDeleteit's always a gamble isn't it? Even with weighing the fibre first and splitting it in three, my bobbins rarely come out even. I do prefer Hand plying for 2 ply rather than chain plying. But sometimes ya gotta do whatcha gotta do!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the Tour de Fleece updates. Seriously I'd love to have a wheel and spin some for myself, but the very last thing I need is another hobby :)
ReplyDeleteI am completely in awe of your sock yarn blanket! It's massive!!
I've got the Diamondback socks in my queue now. I have a self-striping Green/Black/Yellow/White colourway in my stash from Biscotte and Cie which might just be perfectly suited to this pattern! Thanks for the tip!
Once you get the hang of the shortrow pattern they are a fun knit.
DeleteLove the sock yarn blanket! It is beautiful. I'm in awe of your spinning and your homespun shawl. It is going to be amazing.
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be a heavy warm shawl - perfect for fall evenings and winter by the fire. I am very happy with it so far.
DeleteAnd the sock yarn blanket WILL be done by the end of this year and then on our bed. Hopefully the cat will treat it with respect!