I Made Yarn!

I have wanted to learn to spin almost since I first learned to knit. It was an idea I toyed with for several years. I'm not entirely sure when I got serious about it. Perhaps it was when I saw the book "Respect the Spindle." That book planted the idea in my brain that I might be able to learn to spin without investing a small fortune in a spinning wheel. I could get a spindle, some fiber, and a book or a lesson, and for under $100, I could give it a try.

Still, it took the right atmosphere for me to take the plunge. A weekend knitting retreat with my favorite fiber fanatics, a trip with a feel that combined adventure and indulgence, set the mood I needed. When we found a yarn shop that specialized in spinning supplies, it seemed like a sign. I bought the supplies and the book. The shop owner gave me my first brief lesson in spinning, and I ran with it.

Like any newly acquired skill, spinning felt awkward at first. I wasn't sure how to get the spindle spinning and keep it moving. I didn't know what to do with my hands and the fiber. I kept at it, figuring that, like knitting, my body would figure it out eventually. My first spun single is not consistent in diameter. It has some "slubs" in it. It took me darned near 3 months to spin in. The second one is much more consistent and didn't take quite so long. Still, I wasn't exactly impressed with my skill. Neither of these singles looked like something I would want to knit.

Then, I plied the two singles together, and it was like magic or a chemical reaction: I got a product that was completely different from the input. I got a yarn that actually looks pretty nice, feels pretty strong, and that I am excited about dyeing and knitting up!

Two more miracles and I can apply for sainthood.

Ravelympics: decisions, decisions

I'm excited about the Ravelympics coming up. This is an event Ravelry sponsors, in which knitters or crocheters may sign up for teams or participate individually. There are numerous "events," and one may choose how many to enter. The general idea is to challenge oneself to make an entire project, from cast on to bind off, during the Winter Olympics. You may swatch before the opening ceremony, but may not cast on until the torch is lit. And the project must be done by the time the torch goes out, 16 days later.

The decisions:

1) Should I join a team? I am a member of many groups on Ravelry, but teams are pretty much already formed up. I would prefer to be part of a small local team, but the local knitting groups I am in did not make the deadline for team sign-ups. So, I think I probably will not join a team.

2) What should I make? I had originally said I wanted to make a shawl called "Ishbel," but there are some truly beautiful free shawl patterns out there, so I have a hard time bringing myself to pay for a pattern I will probably only make once. I think I will substitute a pattern called "Haruni." I looked at it today, and doing it in 16 days would be a definite stretch for me, but isn't that the point?

So, I guess I will be going it alone in the Ravelympics, making a complex lace shawl that uses 460 yards of sock weight yarn. Wish me luck!

A miracle: no WIPs

I finished two projects today, leaving no works in progress (WIPs) on my official Ravelry project page. This is the first time it has happened since I started using Ravelry to keep track of my projects. Since I usually have two projects on the needles at any given, it's quite unusual for me to finish both so close together.

I'm feeling ambivalent about this. On the one hand, there's great pride in the accomplishments. Both projects turned out beautifully. (I don't have pics yet, but will take them soon.) On the other hand, it's a little bit sad not to have a project to turn to at the moment. My needles look forlorn and lonely.

Of course, they won't stay that way for long. I have so many projects queued up, both on Ravelry and in my own mind, that I can't wait very long to start something else. I just need to make up my mind which two projects to do next. There are several things I want to knit for myself. I think the fingerless gloves in laceweight alpaca will have to be the next thing I start. I also have some super-soft yarn I need to use to make baby caps. Then there's the mp3 player cozy and the journal cover I want to make for myself. But I probably shouldn't have two selfish-knitting projects at the same time. Decisions, decisions.

Sweater accomplished

I've done it! Finished my first project that I designed myself, the celtic cross sweater for my dad. I'm very pleased with how it turned out. The picture above doesn't show the cross to its best effect, but it does prove that I have in fact finished it!

Having a new project I am so excited about really gave me the kick in the behind that I needed to finish this one, when the stockinette got too tedious. Otherwise, it might have taken until Dad's birthday (in November)!

Now I need to decide what to do with the design. I am considering posting it on Ravelry and debating with myself whether to charge for it or make it free. I've checked, and there are no similar patterns for sweaters on Ravelry. It took a significant amount of time and effort to create the design, and it seems to me that it deserves the respect of being paid for. On the other hand, as a pattern-buyer, I'm not sure I would want to buy a pattern that includes only one size. I think I may compensate for that by offering my suggestions in the pattern itself and email support for needs above and beyond that.

Well, that can wait. Time to start on that cashmere wrap...

Designing my first sweater

I love cable knitting. I took to it immediately. After completing two projects, which used celtic knot designs, I decided I wanted to design something with a celtic cross on it. A sweater seemed perfect, and my dad seemed like the perfect person to knit for. He loves celtic crosses, and I know he will get good use from the sweater. Plus, he's a guy, which means no funky shaping is required on the sweater.

I looked on Ravelry for a pattern, but couldn't find one. I honestly don't believe there is any chance that I am the first person to design a sweater with a celtic cross motif on it. Maybe I messed up the search somehow. But in any case, I went ahead and drew up my own design.

I used graph paper to draw the cross first. I already knew a fair amount about celtic cross drawing from a book about the subject which I bought on a trip to Scotland. So that was the easy part (although it certainly impresses people). Then I knit a gauge swatch with the yarn I had chosen. I had knit a top-down sweater with raglan sleeves for my son, so I knew that the construction of such a sweater is very straightforward. I found a formula for the proportions of various parts of the sweater (neck, sleeves, cuffs, etc) based on the chest circumference, and I plugged in the gauge from my swatch and my dad's measurements to calculate the number of stitches I needed at each key point. A little more math to place the cross where I wanted it and figure out the rate of decreases on the sleeves, and I had a sweater pattern.

I am really impressed with how well it has turned out so far. I have done all but the sleeves. I have decided that I want to do them both at once on a long circular needle, a la magic loop. Only problem with that plan is that I don't have a long enough circular. But that just gives me an excuse to replace my current set of interchangeable needles with the Knitpicks options set I've been coveting for a while. As soon as it arrives, I will resume knitting, keeping my fingers crossed.