Spinning for a Cardigan

I know its summer, I know that none of us wants to see this rare sunshine and warmth leave us for autumn and winter, but I find the summer is a good time to at least plan for making winter wear, both for myself and for the children. So I am planning a big, warm cardigan/jacket kind of deal. I was lovingly gifted the book 'Knit, Swirl' by Sandra McIver for Christmas, and my plans are to knit a Coat of Many Colours (I just love the name) and I want to do it in handspun, and in Autumnal colours. So I have made a start in the spinning at least so I may get knitting in a couple of months. Its thicker than I am used to, I am aiming for aran or worsted weight and so far, so good.

I tested out my carders to make this random yarn a while back.

And it may or may not make it into the final cardigan. If it does, its 150m towards the 1550m I need for the final cardigan. This is going to take a lot of yarn!

Most recently I was getting into the swing of spinning for this by going back to an old favourite fibre source, Yummy Yarns UK, with these fabulous batts named Tiger Tiger:

Gave the Princess a good oiling, and turned them into 140m of yarn:

This is probably the darkest of the yarns planned for this cardigan bit I am very pleased with it. Its got that little bit of glitter and shine I tend to gravitate towards! So plenty more of these yarns coming!

Till next time!

Keeping Dry

I mentioned on a previous post showing off some of my recent spinning that I was planning on using the yarn for a hood. I have a beautiful Jaeger winter coat, proper boiled wool, warm, dry, but it has no hood. I was given it by a relative so hence it wasn't exactly my choice, but its a gorgeous coat all the same! So after spending this past winter and spring getting soaked on the school run, I decided to make myself a hood.

So I spun up some lovely yarns from batts and braids from Yummy Yarns UK, and while I was on holiday I turned these:

Into this:

I apologise that the pictures aren't better, but there is only so much I can do by myself and the husbeast is not very helpful in helping take pictures, so I make do where I can.

So this winter I shall be fabulous in a wool coat and hood, and not a drowned rat with soaked hair. A vast improvement on the state of affairs!

What projects are you all up to at the moment?

Till next time

Lucky little me!

A very quick post for you all today. Today I want to talk about Gradience Yarns. Sam runs both an Etsy shop and a Facebook page, and was running a competition on the latter, shortly before I went away. I was thrilled to win a skein of her yarn, in lace weight on her merino/silk blend base.

It arrived while I was away and what lovely post to come home to. So I am writing this post as a thank you to Sam for the lovely yarn, and extras:

I am not sure what this will be yet, but I am erring towards a little light layering top or shrug because its so lush! My favourite shrug to wear is a similar blend, light but warm. I may be reprising the pattern.

I am saving my pennies for some of her lovely yarn because she has to be one of the very few dyers in the UK with true gradient yarns (hence the shop name), which I adore. Of course she also does gorgeous variegated yarns as you can see above, and semi solids too. She also sells hand knit shawls made from her gradient yarns which are to die for! You really should go check her shop out to drool at all the pretty! And of course, treat yourselves!

Till next time!

So much spinning!

Hey and hi to all! I am back from holidays, a little later than planned, so I apologise, children have a habit of throwing you for a loop!

So a quick post today to cover the mass of spinning I have been doing lately but not sharing! Firstly I finally finished the super wash merino gradient I got from the Painted Tiger. Goodness that took me a while! But that's what I get for spinning fine with the intention of chain playing and having a lace weight yarn at the end. The aim was achieved and I went from this fluff:

To this yarn:

963m of it! I am certain that eventually it will be a shawl. I have all sorts of lace shawls planned ahead of me but it's all long term. For now I am back doing thicker yarns for  more immediate projects, especially a cardigan/jacket for me!

But before those yarns, I did spin for another winter accessory. I have the most gorgeous wool winter coat from Jaeger, but it has no hood. So I intend to make myself one, from two yarns I spun.

The first from these batts from Yummy Yarns UK

222m of worsted weight yarn. And its so much fun to spin Patricia's batts.

Also from her I have two braids of Southdown fibre, perfect for a hood to keep me from getting wet in the school run!

They became 608m of sport weight yarn, chain plied. I just love Patricia's fibres! Probably why I keep going back to her again and again. If that isn't a sign of a happy customer I don't know what is!

So these two will become a hood, in fact they already have! But I do not have pictures yet. But I was not idle on holiday, oh no! My hook was busy and I am so pleased to be able to stay dry now. But pictures to come! That's all for now, so till next time!