Skip to main content

Tour De Fleece 2009 finish

This is the 2nd year I have participated in the Tour De Fleece, this year I have my first wheel, so it was especially exciting!

For a warm up I started with some pink roving and finished it up, details here.

Then on to the main spinning my purple Tennessee roving. Lovely, and lonely, it sat for about a year before I started on it.

I was able to spin it very fine (for me) and ply it. I’m so excited.

021 This is the first skein.

Now I come to the question of how to figure out how much yardage I have spun?   Can anyone point me in the right direction to figure this out?

021 Here are my finished skeins, I hope to have enough  to make a shawl.

025

This is my Baktus scarf, made with my first TDF handspun, I didn’t expect to be able to wear it in July! It was 69 degrees this morning.

031 

This gives you an idea of the total size. I think it will be very flexible to wear, as a scarf, I don’t think it is too long or bulky to tuck into your coat, yet warm.  As a wrap it is great for movie theaters and cool restaurants, useful in any season. It was a very easy knit, and I will make it again. The original is made with sock yarn, Mr.. Puffy knitted hers with thicker yarn and gave me the idea.

I spun more during the Tour than I had planned on, this years tour has really motivated me, I’m getting to the point with my wheel that I feel confident with what I produce.  Now I am reading Spin Control, I like this book, being a fairly new spinner, and it helped me answered the questions I was having about spinning different yarns , and made me under stand how to get the yarn I want.

May your needles fly as fast as dragonflies…

Comments

  1. For figuring yardage spun, I use this method. I have a niddy-noddy that's one yard around, so I count it as I wind the yarn off the bobbin. If I made a 2-ply yarn, I multiply that length by 3 (single of that length plus single of that length plus plying that length). If I do a Navajo ply (would work with any 3-ply), then I multiply the length of finished yarn by 4. It's probably a slight underestimate, but ought to be close.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't have a niddy-noddy, so I use two chairs. I set them apart so that the total measurement from far side of chair 1 to the far side of chair 2 is one yard. Then I wind the yarn around the chairs till the whole skein is wound on. Since 2 x 36 equals 72, or 2 yards, I just count my strands and multiply by 2 after I've finished.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You look fabulous in your Baktus! Love the way you are wearing it in the modeled shot.

    This is special because it's really your first handspun garment. Enjoy in good health :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I cheated and bought myself a yarn meter. Now I just pull it through the gadget to find out. I suppose that isn't much help to you.
    Love the color of the yarn you spun. It looks beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for leaving a comment I love reading them and really appreciate you taking the time to let me know you were here!

Popular posts from this blog

Review of a Kick Spindles Or Mother Marion to spin

When I made the decision to buy a Kick spindle I could find very little info on it, anywhere. Below is what I gathered, bought and my experience with mine. I could only find two being marketed, since I purchased mine I have found a third. Below is my views on the Kick spindle I purchased (Little Meggie from Heavenly Handspinning), and some info on all of the other Kick Spindles that I could locate. Links and costs are included. Review: Things I like about my Kick Spindle. 1. Long spin time, I like the addition of the ball bearing. 2. Leaves both hands free to draft 3. It's my "wheel" 4. I like using my foot, I am moving around and don't get stiff from one position. It's a very "active" type, rhythmic motion. 5. You can actually stand and use it also. 6. Great price point. 7. I have never spun on a wheel and when I sat down at one the first time, I could actually spin (some) I think this action of foot/hand coordination helped. 8.

Fibonacci and Knitting

Some time ago I learned that Fibonacci can be applied to knitting. If you are not familiar with Fibonacci, he was a mathematician from the middle ages. He figured out the relationship of proportions, now known as the golden ratio (or number), Fibonacci sequence or 1.618 or Phi. This sequence is seen in practically everything. I’ll link to several articles if you wish to learn more. From reproducing animals, to sea shells and galaxies, the human form and sunflowers. (Mona Lisa, Parthenon, and the pyramids of Egypt, just to name a few). This ratio is present in many, many more surprising things. The first time I used this was in my felted bag. I loved the random look of it. This pattern is The Big  Bag Pattern (free on Ravelry) by Maia Discoe (link ) Below are a couple of links if you wish to learn more.. Fibonacci Numbers and Nature The Wiki and Fibonacci Mona Lisa -- Da Vinci's Use of Sacred Geometry (you tube link) In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers or Fibonacci

Knitted Flat Slouchy Hat Pattern

I’m still tweaking my flat slouchy hat pattern. Here is the next in the series. This is a slouchy hat pattern, knitted flat. It is easy for a beginning knitter! Super slouchy hat, pattern below…. I originally started making this pattern when I didn’t have access to my circular needles. It was fast and fun. With cuff turned up (below) Super Slouchy Knitted Flat Hat Pattern (bulky yarn) Pattern: Flat Slouchy Hat (SuperBulky Yarn) Slouchy hat knitted flat and sewn together, suitable for beginning knitter Yarn Used: Super Bulky Lion Brand Hometown USA, I used 1 and a third skeins which is about 110-120 yds of  super bulky yarn Gauge: 13 stitches x 9 rows, 4x4 inches Needles: US 13 or size to get gauge Cast On: 42 Stitches Ribbing: Row 1: K1, P1, repeat to end Row 2: Repeat row 1 until, your ribbing is as long as you desire, mine is approx. 5 inches long. Body: Row1: (Knit 3, Inc 1)* repeat until end of row (total 55 stitches) (see link here, for all types of increase ex