Monthly Archives: October 2015

Funfetti-Projects!

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It’s taken months to finish spinning my Funfetti yarn. Now it will take me months to find the perfect pattern.

Part of the problem is that the yarn has fairly long runs of color- not long enough to be considered self-striping, but not short enough to be considered variegated.  I have to be careful with the pattern I pick, or the colors might start to pool weirdly.

For example, if I pick a shawl or scarf that’s knit longways, the colors will be all spread out and more muddled toghether:

HorizontalLots of shawls are knit this way, like The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower Yarn.

20_00-_leagues_shawl_2_small_best_fit[1]Or, if I knit it shortways, the colors might pool against themselves, making a kind-of-striped look:

VerticalScarves tend to be knit this way, like Baktus Scarf by Strikkelise.

DSCN3515_small[1]Or, of course I could pick a shawl that is knit both longways and shortways, like the French Cancan by Mademoiselle C.  (The body of this shawl is knit longways, while the edging is knit shortways.)

DSC_8833_small_best_fit[1]But, if I’m being honest, my Funfetti Yarn will probably just sit on my shelf, being pretty for a good year or so.  But it’s a fun thing to think about!

What would you make with my Funfetti Yarn?

Funfetti Yarn

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From time-to-time I like to stretch my fiber-arts legs and try out something other than knitting (heresy, I know!).  Sometimes, I roll out the ol’ spinning wheel and, well, take it for a spin.

This time, I impulse-purchased a big bag of bright white roving, and little tufts in a dozen bright rainbow colors.  I couldn’t tell you what kind of fiber I bought, because, well, it’s taken me more than four months to finish this skein, and any notes or labels I might have had when I purchased the wool are long gone.

I spun the roving into singles with alternating long white stripes and short-ish (about 3 feet long) sections of random color.   Then, last week, I finally plied the yarn into more than 250 yards of squishy 2-ply loveliness.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOK, it’s not perfect…  I did my best to keep the yarn an even aran-ish weight, but with the weeks-long breaks between bouts of spinning, and my less-than-stellar spinning skills, the yarn ended up with a bit of a thick-and-thin consistency.  And my first attempt at 2-ply yarn left it with less-than-perfect evenness.  Oh well!  It gives the yarn character, right? Right?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADespite it’s quirks, I’m happy with this yarn… now I just have to figure out what to make with it.  (Or maybe I should just keep it to look at.)

Have you ever tried spinning?  How did it turn out?

What’s On Your Needles?

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It’s been a blue moon since I’ve checked in with you on what you guys are making, and I think it’s time for me to change that!

My friend Jenny just finished this darling little baby sweater!  (We picked out the buttons together when we visited Bainbridge Island last month.)  It’s a fantastic Halloween-y mix of purple green and black, with tiny silvery-gray mother-of-pearl buttons.image_medium2[1]Adorable, right?  I’m so glad Jenny sent me a picture of the finished project, because her visit to Seattle ended before she got to finish the sweater.

She used the Sunnyside pattern by Tanis Lavallee, which comes in two adorable versions-featuring cables and garter stitch or zig-zag lace and darling picot edging.

5617340260_185f264cd1_z[1]Too cute!

So, what are you working on?  I’d love to see!  And, if you want to send along photos, they might end up on the blog (with your permission, of course!)