Sarah didn't have to nag me about reporting on yarn progress, I was all geared up to do it today anyway.
This has come out as a lovely soft and cushy yarn with a most unusual colourway. I was slightly nervous about the end product as the mix of fibres in the blend were not all of the same staple length, which made drafting a little problematic. But it has washed up beautifully, and is reasonably regular. I have no idea what I am going to do with this - there isn't enough for a shrug, something I am itching to do (there is one on Knitty, called Bobblicious, I think, that I would like to try). I think I may do incredibly posh hat, scarf and mitts - there should be enough for all of those, if not I stop before completing the set.
This next is the singles spun from the multi-layer batt from SOAR 2004. I am somewhat impressed with the overall consistency of this yarn. Apart from one bobbinful, it is all very much the same grist, and not far off in the amount of twist. Considering it has been a year at least in the spinning, that ain't too bad. An interesting thing is that I had skeined off one bobbin some time ago, left four bobbins full of yarn until a few days ago, and skeined off the last bobbin as soon as I spun it. The yarn that had been left on the bobbins had quietened down no end, as one would expect, but the different treatments resulted in six skeins all of a different length. I've washed it today, and it is hanging outside under light tension. I will steam it when it is dry. This will not of course counter the twist energy - that simply is tamed for a while. If I were to rewash the yarn, it would reassert itself, and it would do so anyway in the knitting unless worked with balanced stitches. (I am not particularly good at spinning at a sufficiently low angle of twist to avoid that.) So - a garter stitch shawl, and nothing wrong with that.
And here we have the sample from the dye class all spun up. Not quite such a nice spinning job, but it will do. I don't think that there is going to be enough for any sort of scarf, so - another bag looms on my horizon. Why break the habit of a lifetime.....
So, what does that subject line imply? Well, I though my faithful digital camera was on the blink, which would be annoying enough at the best of times, I use it so much. But tomorrow, I am going to see.....kittens. Super superior posh and beautiful kittens at that. I met their mum when she was nobbut a sprog herself and fell in love, and I could become the proud parent of the last remaining baby, had the DSM not put his size nine down very firmly indeed. There would be one pretty big problem - the two resident moglets are outside cats, despite being siamese. My friend the breeder wouldn't think too much of that, and we couldn't have half and half, so to speak. Plus this is a very superior and therefore stealable little critter. But I want the odd photo, hence the need for the digital, can't wait six months until we use up another regular film. However, fortunately it turned out to be batteries - I kept trying to change dead ones for dead ones, that will teach me to get rid of the old ones straight away......
Small political note. I see that T. Blair has been disturbed enough by the local election results to do something sensible for once and promote Margaret Beckett to Foreign Secretary. He treated her shamefully, of course, when he first took office, by sidelining her after her brilliant job holding everything together after John Smith's death. So in one swell foop we get rid of Jackass Straw, and have someone with at least a hope of being competent (if not too completely cowed by the Party Machine)in the Cabinet. However, I fear too little too late.
Plus the foul BNP didn't do as well as I feared they might. Disgusting little toe rags. Give thanks for small mercies.
Yikes. Back to yarn. It's a glorious afternoon, I'm taking my wheel outside for an airing. Having washed the kitchen floor, I'm entitled.
1 comment:
Beautiful yarns, Carol!
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