I finally finished the cashmere/tussah silk handspun yarn! It was a challenge (not as easy as wool) but I made it work.

(in progress photos can be found HERE)

I am still considering using this in the stripe study shawl as the contrasting color.

It took me a bit to find a way to spin this yarn that I wanted – which was more of a supported long draw than worsted. Here’s a very basic description of how I did it.

I pulled off a bit of the fiber and drafted it out sideways.

I folded that in half.

Then, from the tips, rolled into rolags(ish) and spun from the end. (I don’t really consider them to be rolags ’cause I didn’t card the fiber.)

I had just enough tension on my wheel to pull the fiber out gently and I pulled my fiber hand back slowly, matching the speed that the twist entered the drafting zone. I used my other had to control the speed & pull from my wheel.

I learned a lot from from spinning this yarn and got something very soft and pretty in the end. Soooo worth it!

When I was at Loopy Ewe, I was really drawn to this yarn. It’s Malabrigo Worsted weight yarn in the colorway Oceanos.

Like with the other yarn, I only bought 2 skeins, but when I got home, I decided I needed to order another skein to use it for the pattern I had in mind for it.

It’s so squishy & purty.

Remember this shawl that became a treat for some little bug?

Then:

Well, I finally ripped it out, washed the yarn and started reknitting this shawl. It’s going pretty well. It’s gives me lots of knitting therapy and the colors are pretty.

Now:

I lost several inches due to splicing the yarn back together, but all in all, it’s looking very much like it did originally.

I would like for you to meet someone.

His name is R.B. (short for Rainbow Bunny).

My very first handknit toy! (The pattern is ‘R is for Rabbit‘)

He’s kinda handsome, don’t ya think?

This summer, I went to St. Louis. I made a side trip to Loopy Ewe. During my time there, I decided to go on a ‘rainbow hunt’ and I found this fingering weight yarn by Studio June Yarn in ‘Sunshine and Rainbows’ colorway.

At the time, I bought two skeins.

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered a third. Whatever I make with this yarn, I want to make sure I have enough. And yes… I have a plan.

One can never have too many rainbows.

Hi. Yes, I’m still out here in the world. Is anybody out there?

It’s been a challenging year… during part of which, my favorite yarn store closed. I really only knit on one thing this for most of the summer – black rainbow shawl (the stripe study shawl) and I only finished it this past week.

These photos are pre-block. But I really like how it came out. Not really stripey, which I really like. This shawl is for me. Maybe one day I’ll make another one.