Monday, July 18, 2016

A Year of Projects - Week Three

Well, this week was mostly about spinning - and I am spinning 100 gms fine so it seems to be taking forever.

None-the-less here is my progress. I split it into about 50 - 2 gram slivers (25 of each colour)



and so far so good:



I did manage to spin a little every day so I am still spinning with Tour de Fleece. I plan to chain ply this when I am done (if I am ever done) so that I can keep the colour changes separate.


I knit a section of the sampler shawl with homespun I showed you last week - tada!





I managed a couple of more tiers on the diamondback socks but not enough to warrant a photo. AND, I did cast on another pair of Tour de Sock socks, but when I say cast-on, that is all I've got, cast-on stitches, not even joined the round up yet.

I frogged the sixteen inches of progress on my gray sweater (for the second time) because clearly the alpaca wool and the gauge I was using were not working together. I will now hunt out a new pattern for this yummy soft wool. I knit about four inches at the music festival on Friday afternoon, and then frogged it at the Friday evening concert. My great-nieces thought this was quite fascinating (and I think they thought I had lost a few marbles).

But the piece de resistance was the hemp pot holder (chinese seal for sheep) I started and finished over the thirty hours I spent listening to music at the folk festival on Saturday and Sunday. I was using stash and ran out of hemp before the final border, but hey, it's a pot holder, not something to hang in The Louvre!






Sometimes with great-nieces on my lap!




They seemed impressed with the speed in which I knit so I think I redeemed myself after the whole frogging incident of Friday night!

36 comments:

  1. Wow your spinning is splendid and the shawl is gorgeous, it all more than makes up for the frogging incident!

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    1. It was funny because the next morning a little tree frog jumped onto our blanket...rippit rippit!

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  2. Beautiful work spinning!! Love the potholders. Listen to music, sitting outside, knitting and great-nieces.....perfect!!!

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    1. Thank you. It is just one potholder, double-knitting so I wanted to show both sides. It was a perfect weekend.

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  3. Great to hear about your progress on the spinning and how you went about it with the roving (I'm keeping notes here, lol, I'm determined to learn spinning, I WILL make a start this week).
    Your homespun has knitted up beautifully, I really like the texture of it.
    Love the FO potholder, and your beautiful g-nieces on your lap helping you knit, lol. What a treat, and what a lovely memory making experience for them.

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    1. When I finished the potholder I sent them a text with the pictures because they went home about an hour before I was finished.

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  4. I have said it before but I do envy spinners and their work, and yours is fantastic. Also how marvelous to use your own handspun yarn in a project too. Great pot holder. Leah x

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  5. Your grand nieces are cute. And your spinning looks great.

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    1. and there was another Great niece and great nephew but my lap is only so big!

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  6. You look very happy... And healthy... Great to see. I love the colours you're spinning. So rich. You are doing all of this in the heat of summer. Amazing stuff.

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    1. not much heat in our summer ....yet. Guess I will have to wait for Croatia to really feel the summer temps.

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  7. Lovely photo of you and the grand nieces. You look as if you were having a great time and being very productive!

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  8. Your potholder is super nice. I would think hemp would be hard on the hands--is it? Mind you I find cotton hard on my hands so I am a wimp! And double knit as well. Kudos

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    1. I find it less hard on my hands than cotton oddly enough. And when it washes up it is very soft.

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  9. Your spun yarn is just beautiful. I love the combination of colors. And what a great picture of you and your great nieces. A trio of happy girls you all are. :)

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    1. Thank you. I am happy with the spinning and hope the plying does it justice. We are happy girls!

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  10. Your sp7nning colors are pretty. Looks like you had a lap full. How joyfull

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  11. I love your spinning, it's so pretty and what a pretty picture! Can't wait to see what you've got next week.

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    1. I should have more to show next week because there isn't a folk festival going on!

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  12. Oh, a spinner! That's what I want to be when I grow up! LOL! I have a spindle and really haven't done anything but now I am wise to "homespun" and absolutely love it! I might be able to learn with You Tube and patience? LOL! Your sampler shawl with homespun is beautiful! I really like your Chinese symbol cloths. I did purchase some hemp a little while ago to make some cloths as I learned it has natural antimicrobial properties....who knew? Your grand nieces are just precious and they either sat really still on your lap or you are a knitting magician! Maybe both? So sorry you had to rip back such a good amount of progress but I am glad I am not alone in the "ripping back" part. Although, I have to have a lifeline as I really don't know any other way to do it. The first year I joined YOP I had just learned to knit and I never had anything to show because when I ripped back then it was totally to the beginning and starting over. I learned to take a picture before I frogged whatever else I had nothing to show on Sunday. Even still, I'm certain people were really tired of looking at the same project of mine for months on end! LOL! And therein lies the reason for multiple WIP's. I rest my case. Have a great week and I can't wait to see a bigger picture of the shawl and more homespun!

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    1. It is so great to get to know you - I love your ravatar name. I will post a bigger picture of the shawl when I get closer to the end.

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  13. I so want to get back to do some dying and spinning. I have a few bags of wool just sitting in the corner waiting patiently. I've been doing my best to go cold sheep on it all but I love your colors, it might just encourage me to pull it out before winter!

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    1. I actually find spinning a good summer activity - sometimes if its too hot I find knitting makes my hands too sweaty.

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  14. Great knit shot with the great neices!

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    1. Yes, my niece saw me knitting with the two of them on my lap while we listened to music and she snapped the shot!

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  15. You are so very talented. It is always lovely seeing what projects you are creating :-)

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    1. Thank you. You are talented with all your blog entries - my energies seem to be more towards the water and the wool these days.

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  16. pretty roving. It makes me want to dig out my wheel again. I have a bunch of roving that is just waiting to be spun.

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    1. Tour de fleece got me to dig out all mine, I had more than I thought, and since I am stash-busting it is a good way to get some new yarn to work with.

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  17. What a sweet picture of you and your great nieces. Your is spinning is lovely.

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    1. Thank you. I am enjoying spinning more and more, and I am cursing less and less!

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  18. Your spun yarns are gorgeous! It is so nice to see something you made with your yarn too. I love all the changes in color and texture. It is lovely!

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    1. my latest spinning is for socks, but I have something hanging to dry today that will add to the shawl.

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