May | 2008 | saffron knits (and spins)

… for wool allergies. With my hayfever in full swing, I’ve had to put my spinning fiber away in it’s plastic bags until mid-July. But before I did, I was spinning a lovely merino/tencel blend. I’m so in love with this fiber. It drafts like buttah and is REALLY REALLY soft. I love how it shimmers. I can’t wait until I can spin more and eventually ply it ’cause I think it’s gonna be so pretty. I wonder how much 3 oz will yield? Anyway, enjoy the photos. Amazingly enough, they are pretty true to color.

Prior to this merino/tencel blend, I had finally started spinning fiber from the Hello Yarn Fiber club. The yarn on the niddy-noddy will be a small skein of singles. I spun rest as well and it’s waiting patiently on a TP tube while I decide how I want to ply it – 2 ply or navajo ply. This is Toxic, the colorway for November 2007.

Thanks for stoppin’ by! TTFN!

ok. I LOVE the first section of Knitting Workshop! It answered practically all the questions I had when I was a beginner knitter. … about joining in the round …. purling the ‘easy way’ … and knowing the difference between the ‘back’ & ‘front’ of a stitch.

and……. LOOK! at my ‘swatch cap’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SPECS:
Lion Brand Wool
Size 6 US needles. (DPNs & 16″ circular)
Cast on: 84 stitches, increased to 112
Gauge: ? (I haven’t measured yet)

I’m so proud of this! It fits!! It’s a little long, but I’ll roll up the ribbing and my ears will be warmer. This is the first hat I’ve made that fits me!

Oh! and the colorwork design is mine, all mine. After all, Elizabeth said ‘Don’t use mine. Make up your own’. So I did!

I was all fired up to make another. But the yarn is not co-operating. It’s Knit Picks Wools of the Andes. It is soft, but not as soft as the Lion Brand wool I was using. So, it’s going back into stash until it lets me know what it wants to be. In the meantime, I went to the Yarn Store today and look what followed me home so I can make more hats!

It’s all worsted weight yarn. The right three skeins are Cascade 220. I’ve never tried it before and I keep reading how much people enjoy using it so I wanted to try it.

The skein on the far left is dream in color. Does the colorway look familiar?

It’s the same colorway as the sock yarn I bought previously. I’d totally forgotten!!