In Dreams KAL Project (part 1)

The current project I am working on is a lace shawl entitled In Dreams. This is a mystery shawl Knit A Long (KAL), which means you don't know what the design looks like before you knit it, that's the mystery. There are clues given at timed intervals so the design is revealed as each clue is worked. The design is by Susan Pandorf of Sunflower Designs and was inspired by Galadriel's crown from the movie Lord of the Rings.

I decided to spin my own yarn for this project so the picture below is of the fiber I decided to use. This is a 50/50 blend of Merino/Silk, I love the way it shines.

This shawl is going to have a ton of beads, 5,000 I think is the right number so below are the beads I have chosen for it. I have the beads laying on top of the fiber to give you an idea of how they will go together.

I am using my Schacht double treadle wheel for this and below you can see the lace singles on the bobbin. I will be making a lace weight 2-ply yarn.

In this next picture I have placed a green sewing machine thread to the left of my spun single so you can get an idea of the size of the single.

This is the plied yarn drying on my homemade pvc niddy noddy for blocking, (setting the twist).

For those of you who read this who are not spinners, after spinning the yarn I wind it onto a niddy noddy and then wash it and set it out to dry. Before making a niddy noody from pvc I would wind it onto a wooden one to make a skein. I would then take the skein and wash it and would have to dry it under tension to set the twist. By making the pvc one I can skein it, wash it, and set it all on the niddy noddy in fewer steps.

I am currently half way through knitting the first clue and will post pictures after clue one is complete, in part 2 of this post.

Knitting With Handspun Angora

With all the spinning I’m doing I am finding it hard to spend quality time with my knitting but here is a little progress report on the stuffed knitted bunny I started. Since I am making a bunny I thought what better fiber to use than bunny fiber so I am using the fiber from my own Sable colored German Angora bunny. I no longer have this bunny since I couldn’t bring any of my fiber animals with me when we made our move to Virginia two years ago so I have had this yarn for a long time now and it is actually my first angora spinning ever so it is a little sentimental to me. It has been sitting just waiting for the right project to come along and I thought this one was fitting. I spun this fiber from the fold and is a fingering weight. The pattern calls for a cast on to measure 6” and I thought I had done that but as I kept knitting each row the width began to multiply and maxed out at 12 inches, exactly twice what I thought I started with so I guess the whole thing about bunny’s multiplying is true even when knitting, hee hee hee. No, seriously when I measured my CO stitches they were tight and close together. As I knitted those stitches they became a lot more relaxed and expanded out to their true measurement. I decided to keep the size and just make a larger bunny.


Here is the link to the free pattern I’m working on, since the photo is copyrighted I can’t post it here so you’ll have to go to the link to see what I’m making, it’s really cute!

http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny.shtm

One Time Announcement!

The exciting news you have all been so patiently waiting for. Drum role please…

For all the years I have been spinning one question people ask me keeps popping up over and over again and that question is, do you sell your handspun yarn?. My answer has always been no but my wonderful husband to me that I should give it a try, so that is what I’m doing.

Now everyone has always known me around the web as either littlehouseinthewoods or on Ravelry as littlehouse so it seemed only right to name my new handspun yarn business Little House Yarns. My website is not finished yet but is up and located at http://www.littlehouseyarns.com you can currently go there and put a push pin on a guest map to let me know you were there. I will also have a business blog located at http://littlehouseyarns.wordpress.com/ but it is not up yet so don’t try to go there just yet, I will post the entire link when it is up and running.

So, what will I carry? Handspun yarn of course! In all weights, types, and colors. I will have “dye your own” white/natural and colors I dye myself. I will even be offering my own hand dyed, handspun, self striping sock yarn as well as solid colors. I will also take special requests from my special blog friends here just because I love you all so much!
I will also have handmade accessories, I am currently working on my own design of needle case holders and I’m busy making stitch markers and a few other things too.

I do have a special request from some of you that regularly read this blog. I am in need of some test knitters that will be willing to knit shop samples for me, using my yarn and then writing a review of the yarn. If you are interested in doing this and would like more information just leave a comment stating that your interested and I’ll get back with you regarding all the details. I think you will like the benefits.

Because this is my personal fiber crafts blog, this is the only announcement regarding my new yarn business that I will post here. I want to try and keep my business separate from this personal blog so when the business blog is up and running I will post the link in the side bar and all business information will be over there.

I am very busy spinning so that I can hopefully be open for business in July. I would love it if you all would post any suggestions regarding what you would like to see in my shop. Sizes/weights, yardages, colors, smooth yarn or funky novelty yarn, or all of the above etc.

Happy knitting everybody!
Michelle