Spin and Knit: February 2014

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

felted bag

Another use-up-your-stash project.

I knitted the bag which turned out about double the size of that in the photo, then threw it in the washing machine, which felted it for me.

No pattern, just some yarn leftovers and an idea to make a little bag to hang

of my spinning wheel to hold some accessories for spinning.

Very cute and useful little bag.

Just nice how these things turn out just as you wanted it to sometimes.

Some little sheep were a gift from a friend, they seem to like the bag.

Little gnomes

I always take my crafts with me on holidays. Sometimes my spinning wheel, always some knitting or other project.

I find that it often attracts attention and comments and is a great conversation point.

This last time at the campsite I brought my spindle as I am learning to use that more confidently and my knitting. I was planning on using up little scraps of wool for whimsical things. I don't like wasting oddments of yarn. So I had some patterns for small projects with me too.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/korknisse

A small girl at the campsite came every day to see me and watch me spin or knit and came to check on the growing herd of little gnomes I was making out of corks.

She was so fascinated with the knitting and the yarn.....delightful!

I let her take two gnomes home, they are going to live in her dolls house.

A bright and happy blanket

What can I say?

This is one of those projects that just grew without much planning.

I had no idea at the start of the process what I would end up with.

First I just felt like dyeing some wool, for the fun of it.

Then the result of that was so bright and sweet that it stunned me.

No idea what to use it for......

That fiber (which is of our sheep Barney) was spun, because I needed some fiber to spin for a spinning demonstration during an agricultural show in town.

It sure attracted a lot of comments and caught the eye of the public. I mean with those colours it is hard not to notice it.

Plied up this was the final resulting colourway. I had 200g of it.

Then I found a pattern idea I wanted to try out. A blanket with mitred squares. Something I had never done before.

Yet the resulting blanket was not large enough to be useful.

So I had to try and dye more fiber in a matching hue, which proved difficult to achieve.

After the dye bath it was very patchy in colour.

But I used my drum carder to get some practice at carding and the dyed sliver turned into 200g of gorgeous and more even coloured batts;

The colour was perfect. And a border was knitted to complete the blanket which made it about a meter square. Perfect for a baby blanket or a lap blanket or throw.

Stunning!

If I may say so myself.

Beatrice Shawl

Sometime I have a result in dyeing that I am not quite that happy with.

Take this yarn; It is a beautiful soft 125g of merino, gorgeously spun originally white.

Than I dyed it randomly with yellow red and blue dye powder and although I wasn't totally disappointed it turned out very different from what I had hoped for.

What to use it for??????????

So it lay in waiting for more then a year, perhaps even two until this pattern caught my eye....

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beatrice-shawl