Spin A Yarn for Ewe

How does a roving that looks like this

end up looking like this when it is spun?

I was really going for a red but I guess I didn't get enough in there to do it. I will have to try this combo again with more saturation of color so it doesn't get so washed out. I still like it but it was not what I was going for.


My next spinning project has a lot more color and the silk I dyed to go with it turned out beautiful. It should make for a stunning beaded yarn even though it doesn't match the original beads I planned on.

I plied the merino tencel yarn last night and all I can say is that it is very luscious. The colors are muted and the feel of the yarn is incredible. It is so slinky feeling and beyond soft.

This is a really hard fiber to photograph well. It has tons of natural shine and luster kind of like silk. Here it is up close.


I am currently dyeing my next roving, soon to be yarn. I meant it to match some beads I bought today but it is nor even close to them. The good news is it goes great with some beads I have in stash. The roving to match the new beads will have to wait. I also bought the beads for the sweater and will probably swatch with them to be sure they are the "ones."

I currently have a total of 3 knitting projects and one spinning project. I am not sure how I manage to always finish a yarn before starting a new one but that is how I always have been with spinning. Knitting, well that is a different story.

I finished the Merino Tencel singles last night so I will ply them tonight. The roving has been a joy to spin and has such lovely shine to it. I think the finished yarn will be really nice.

I am even liking the colors better. I only have 8oz left of that roving so I think I will be ordering more while the price is still good. I love a bargain when it comes to roving. I also have a silk blend to try out too.

I broke down and started the sweater. I really need to work on the beaded bag but it is too hard at night in the black with dark beads and I for sure do not want to mess it up. The sweater has the lace sections with a beaded yarn so I will be adding beads to mine too. I have narrowed it down to these 2.
The silver lined clear are on the left and the silver lined grey are on the right. The grey ones are in the wrong size but the color would be the same. I think I might get both and swatch the lace with them to decide but any opinions would be great.

Probably won't get much spinning or knitting done tonight as it is Back to School night. Hopefully it won't run too late and I can have some wind down crafty time still. Kids are not invited so I get to go solo since our usual sitter is not around. Plus I have to miss golf night too.

The beaded bag was the project of the weekend but because it was a weekend where we did a whole bunch of stuff I didn't get quite as much done as I wanted. Plus it makes for slow knitting in the car. I am almost done with the first side and it really is pretty I think.

It is hard to photograph exactly how it looks until you get it on the purse frame because the beads have weight and will hang down slightly when it is done. You would be surprised how heavy it is already and that is only half the bag or almost half.

My knitting distractions included a trip to Sea World and lots of gardening. It seems like we never have enough plants and some of the experiments have bit the dust so new ones had to be planted.

I also got the yarn for the Dream Sweater so I joined the KAL. I did swatch with it and got gauge so I will start work on that too this week. I haven't forgotten about the fingerless mitts either and take those with me in the car as they are the easiest to pick up and put down at a moments notice. 3 more rounds of ribbing and the first is done. I also spun up some of the merino/tencel roving I dyed last week. That is some very yummy stuff that I will for sure be buying again.

So really the fact that I got that far on the purse is just sheer luck.

I finally got around to skeining up the yarn I have been working on. The roving was something I could not come up with a name for but the finished yarn looks like Pansies to me. Purple, white, yellow at little blue and green. I like it much better now than before it was spun.

I have learned that spinning sometimes lends a cohesiveness to the yarn that in its unspun state can not convey. Here is it close up.


The purse is moving along but since I haven't reached the halfway point yet so I will spare you the photos. It is getting faster as I go and learn how to hold the beads right. The fabric it makes is really hard to describe but it is really slinky feeling as the beads are on both sides. I think everyone should try one. I know this will not be my last one. Who knows what I will do with a bunch of fancy beaded bags but they are so darn fun to make.

I started the purse. You knew I would once I strung the beads. Stringing the beads turned out to be easier then I thought. So here it is after 7 rows.

And here it is at 20 rows.

I only had small amounts of time to work on it but am really pleased with it. You work the bag in one piece so I have a total of 124 rows. If I really sat down and worked on it I don't think it would take too long.

I, of course, can not just do one thing so I also dyed roving yesterday. I chose the merino tencel blend and really like the shine it has. We will see how it looks when spun but I think this might be a new favorite. Very soft and did I mention the shine.

Here is the other color combo I did.

I also finished the other spinning I was working on so hopefully I will have that skeined up today and photos of soon. Plus my yarn for the Dream Sweater is supposed to be here today so one more project to add to the pile. I think I have fiber related ADD.

The purse kits is here! I am so excited to try this out. It says if you can cast on, cast off, knit, increase and decrease you are set. So hopefully I won't fail horribly at any of those things. I like to think I have them down but you never know. Here it is.

I want to start it right now but I promised myself that I would finish the other bobbin I am spinning first. But maybe I could just string the beads and read through the directions. I am even surprised that the needles don't look to bad. I have been working on size 1's for the fingerless gloves so maybe that helps. I mean they are a riot next to size 11's.

Okay I am off to string beads.

I didn't get to any of the things I said I was going to do yesterday. Instead I worked on this.

I decided to make it after reading this blog entry.
These kind of stories make me mad and sad at the same time. I can not stand hearing about a little girl having her face torn up by a dog. I am a dog lover and owner but dogs need to be controlled by their owners whether that means a fenced yard that they CAN NOT under any circumstances get out of or training or both. This little girl should not have to pay for someones irresponsibility. Enough said.

I think the hat came out cute and I hope she likes it.

Last night I worked on my spinning again. The second bobbin is almost done and then the plying can start. Right now it kind of looks just like regular purple yarn but I know there are hidden spots of yellow and teal green so it will be much more interesting off the bobbin. I am also ready to hit the dye pot today with some of my luscious new fiber. I decided to try some merino/tussah silk and some merino/tencel. I have spun both but never dyed then myself so it should be a great experiment. The tencel especially since most people say it won't dye with the same dyes that do wool. Guess we will see.

So the plan was to have one of my fingerless gloves done this weekend but plans failed. I got close to done but still have about 10 rows of ribbing and the thumb to do. they look really great so I am not super disappointed.

I took a closeup of the lace too. It is a leaf lace and I really like how it looks. Not a pattern I can even start to memorize as it is 16 rows long but fun to do.


I also had wanted to get the roving spun up that I showed last time but that failed too. I got one bobbin done and will do the next tonight. Guess I have just had loftier goals then I could even think of finishing.

I have also decided I want to knit a sweater. Never mind that I haven't finished my handspun one yet or even worked on it lately. It is just so great looking I can not hold back. Here it is the Dream Sweater. I wish I could afford to do it in the specified yarn but at $170 I just can not justify it. I found a substitute that should work and costs about $50 even with shipping. I will show you when I get it if it swatches out. Even if it doesn't I might just adjust so I can use it.