by Rebecca (do our posts no longer get our names automatically attached?)
Have we already failed at NaBloPoMo?
Here’s my first project made out of yarn that I spun – using the drop spindle I posted about earlier. The finished kerchief is about 30″ across at its widest point.
The yellow stripes for the border are made with yarn I purchased, but the rest is spun of superwash merino wool. The yarn I spun is rather overtwisted – parts of it wanted to kink back on itself, and it’s not squooshy like I wanted, so I’ve been working on finding a better amount of twist in yarn I’ve spun since then.
Here’s a detail shot where you can see the variegation in the yarn. I spun it out of a multicolored top (which is a type of wool preparation), and made a 2-ply without doing anything to keep colors aligned.
Next weekend I’m taking a short Introduction to Wheel Spinning class at my local yarn store, to try to figure out if I want to buy a spinning wheel. The one I find most aesthetically pleasing (really, is that not gorgeous, if you’re into the Scandinavian-style furniture aesthetic?) happens to be very versatile, but it’s also one of the more expensive wheels on the market (if you don’t count the super duper expensive ones which have long waiting lists), so I want to give the whole wheel concept a little try before committing. I think in class I’ll get to spin on another wheel from the same manufacturer, and there is a spinning store in the area where I could check out a wider variety of wheels.
My self-imposed homework before class is to practice more spindle-spinning and also re-read all the spinning books which I got from the library to familiarize myself with wheel spinning.
Both the kerchief and the wheel look cool to me.
Marty
Wow, Rebecca! That looks like one mighty fine homespun, hand-knitted kerchief to me! I love the colors and pattern. Wear it with pride and keep us informed of your spinning activities.