My Second Fleece! Finn X East Friesian Lamb

Sunday, January 29, 2023

The fancy, fine white merino fleece I bought a ways back is being slowly used as part of a longer term project. And in the meantime, I wanted something for a more short-term project. I dragged J to the Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair and got myself this lovely Finn X East Friesian lambswool, $60 for 3.5 lbs. It is definitely a "project fleece." Lots of second cuts and felted bits, but when it's priced the way it is, and with my hobbies being mostly as a screen-break, this seems like a fine trade-off.

I scoured it using the Washing Fleece Instructions from Sheepspot - Episode 18, and then after drying, proceeded to sort the locks into a gradient for a special project...

Knitting: Golden Hedera Socks

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Decided to start wearing down the yarn stash, so I made these Hedera Socks with a skein of Three Irish Girls Springvale Sock in Bourbon Street. Sorta forgot that my gauge is wack-a-doodedly loose...which may be good for hand strain, but isn't so great for fitting socks! So, now I've got some fancy loose socks, an d a reminder to be careful of measuring my gauge in swatches!

This was a great car-knit over Thankgsgiving Break. I really like sock-knitting for keeping hands busy on road trips and when hanging out with family.

Dog Yarn to Dog Hat!

Sunday, January 15, 2023

Turned that dog yarn from the previous post into something useful...a warm, roll-up hat for J.

This is PurlSoho's Classic Ribbed Hat sized down ~2 sizes since my yarn was bigger than what was called for. I'm becoming an expert at doing that...

The First Dog Yarn!

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Did I save up a bunch of dog fur brushings, clean them, with the intention of spinning them into yarn?

Yes. Yes I did.

This is 50% chiengora, 50% Romney/Corriedale/Rambouillet X sheep wool. Hand-carded together, and then woollen spun into about a skein of yarn. It's not the sturdiest yarn, but it has quite the halo already! Much like mohair!!

Fiber Processing Tool Upgrade: A Drum Carder

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Upgrading the fiber tools! I purchased a used Patrick Green Drum Carder that immediately needed a new drive belt. Much cheaper to make them yourself with a heat gun!

Can't wait to get this buddy goiing with some new fibers!

A Handspun Alpaca Shawl

Sunday, December 25, 2022

The Alameda Shawl Recipe is perfect for handspun - you can shorten the shawl depending on how much yarn you've made!

This lovely lace shawl is made from some handspun alpaca fiber that I got on a New York Fiber tour from an alpaca farm. Lovely stuff! The finished object makes a sweet little neck kerchief as well. Super toasty though!