Possessed to Knit

8-ply Cotton Yarn

This skein of cotton yarn started out as tahkli spun singles.  I wound them all into one ball and even added more twist with my Lendrum.  The singles were still delicate and could break easily in spots.  I was tempted to just toss the whole thing, but I persevered.  I wound the bobbin into a center pull ball and plied from the inside and outside of the ball.  I used the 1:17 ratio on my Lendrum Fast Flyer and rejoined the plying in the several places that it broke.  I then put it through the wheel once more to add more plying twist.  This additional plying twist helps it to ply better in the other direction.  Another center pull ball yielded a 4-ply yarn that was also put through the wheel twice.  The last plying gave about 100 yards (1.5 oz) of this 8-ply yarn at about 14 - 16 wpi.  I would like to knit a small beaded bag to hold some of my Opal stitch markers.  I will likely start it from the top and then knit till I run out of yarn.  I think 2.5 mm needles and size 8 beads will work nicely for this project. 

Hanami Stole

I started my Hanami Stole on 3.25 mm Addi Turbo 24" Lace needles with Misti Lace Alpaca in the Lipstick colorway.  I found the beaded cast-on to be a little challenging and I may have twisted some stitches as I cast them on.  I have almost completed the first repeat here with 6 more to go for this section.  Opal's markers are extremely helpful and I am glad to have several sets in a variety of sizes.  This shawl is looking a little bigger than I expected, but that's not really a problem, just an observation.  Now I have three delightful projects going. 

Opal Cotton Socks

Here is my latest travel sock.  It is Opal cotton in the pink/gray colorway (2095).  This unique blend is 30% cotton mixed with 32% polyamide then twisted with 38% superwash wool.  It has a nice spongy feel to it and is soft.  My Plymouth sock yarns are soft but don't have a cushiony feel like this to them.  I am using my size 0 (2.00 mm) Darn Pretty Needle 5" dpns and 72 sts.  I don't think I will make this cuff quite as long as I did for my Meilenweit Cotton Fantasy socks.  The color pattern repeat is about 35 rounds.  Once I complete this gray stripe, I will work about 1.5 inches of stockinette and then start a short-row heel.  Our weather is warming up, so I am motivated to add some cotton socks to my collection.

Hanami Swatch

I joined the Hanami Stole Knit-a-Long at Knit Happens and purchased Misti Lace Alpaca in the Lipstick colorway.  This is an informal knit-a-long that started in early April.  The recommended needle size is 3.25 mm.  I tend to knit tightly, so I started off with 3.75 mm needles.  The swatch turned out to be too big and I then went down to 3.50 mm needles.  I ended up knitting this swatch with 3.25 mm Addi Turbo Lace needles and think it is the best choice.  The gauge is a little off (5.0 sts per inch instead of 5.25 sts per inch), but I think a smaller needle might make the yarn overs too small.  This shawl has a beaded cast on edge and a beaded cast off edge.   I also like the asymmetry of the design, and I think it will make for some very interesting knitting.

Meilenweit Cotton Fantasy Socks Completed

I have completed my Meilenweit Cotton Fantasy socks on my size 0 Addi bamboo dpns.  I made these socks a little longer in the cuff than my other socks and thought I was going to run out of yarn.  I started this pair last June on size 00 (1.75 mm) circurlar needles with 76 sts which turned out to be too small.  I switched back to size 0 needles and 72 sts, but by then, summer was almost over and I lost the motivation to knit cotton socks.  I knitted these socks as I flew to see my nephew, Justin, for his birthday.  Would you believe the flight attendant made me put away my knitting for take off and landing?  She had been interested in my socks and told me that similar socks sell for as much as $8 per pair in the stores.  I revealed to her that the yarn and the needles cost a bit more than that.  I resisted the urge to show her that these bamboo needles are essentially glorified toothpicks and put my knitting away as she advised.

Here is a photo from Justin's party at the Jump Zone.  I brought my sock knitting along, however, we were busy enough with the party.  I was fortunate to find a fellow knitter and now a new Ravelry friend at the party.  Now that I am all done traveling, I look forward to getting back to my spinning & knitting.

MSWF - Stash Additions

Here are my fibery purchases from MSWF.  On the right, we have Dragonfly Fibers merino/silk roving in the Heroine colorway from Cloverhill yarns.  On the right we have Tactile Fiber Arts naturally dyed Tussah silk roving in the Hydrangea colorway and a Birdseye Maple/Ebony Spindlewood spindle from Carolina Homespun.  The sock yarn is from Gale's Art and is 90% wool and 10% nylon.  I had a nice chat with Gale about her sock yarn research and her dyeing techniques.  It was a wonderful weekend of all things fiber and I look forward to spinning and knitting my new stash additions. 

Spinning and Knitting Estonian Lace

I had a busy MSWF week and weekend as I took 3 classes and helped with the Junior Spinning Contest.  It was fun and a little tiring with a 60 mile commute each way and then back to work today.  I thoroughly enjoyed each of my classes.  The first was Spinning and Knitting Estonian Lace taught by Judith MacKenzie McCuin and Nancy Bush.  The photo is Nancy's mini-shawl.  She cleverly designed four different lace samples for us to knit with our handspun yarn.  She and Judith brought us some of their Artisan Rambouillet Lace yarn to knit samples with as well.  Judith is my favorite spinning instructor.  She is a patient and generous teacher.  She is a walking encyclopedia of sheep characteristics and textile history.  I learned several knitting techniques from Nancy and enjoyed hearing all about her visits to Estonia.  I took two more classes with Judith on Sunday, Spinning a Fine Yarn and Popular Wheel Mechanics.  They were excellent and each could have been at least an entire day of instruction. 

Unlike Patrick, I was not so lucky as to dodge the rain.  I took my Walnut Lendrum for the 3-day class and my Gem for the Sunday classes, managing the best I could in the damp weather.  I also did some shopping and will be sure to show that in my next post.