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April 30th, 2008
09:52 pm - Packing and spinging
So I'm leaving for a year in Africa on Friday. Packing has been tough. There have been far too many decisions to make about which yarn I take along, and which I leave behind. To worsen matters, my mother threatens to use whatever yarn I leave behind. Also, do I bring my spinning wheel? It weighs a hefty 6kg, and I only have a 20kg allowance for accompanied luggage, though thankfully another 15kg of unaccompanied luggage!
After almost two weeks of anguish, decisions have been made. The spinning wheel is coming with me. As are many skeins of yarn and braids of roving. And I don't care how much it costs! *foot stamp*.
--
On other matters, I have been on a spinge (spinning binge). This is what I have spun since I returned from Aceh:
Handspun Merino 'Java Jive and Smudge': This is a two-ply yarn spun into aran weight. One strand is 'Java Jive' merino roving purchased from FreckleFaceFibers. The other is 'Smudge' (dark brown) merino from Treetop Colours.
( And there is more! Much more! )
Believe it or not, I have spun two more skeins, but they are still drying. Photos will come later.
(Edited version x-posted to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) weekend_whirls)
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/smileys/bouncy.gif) bouncy
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April 6th, 2008
04:38 pm - Only one FO, but lots of progress
Back in Australia now, and I will have to confess only finish one project during my trip. And that is a green cable beanie using some reclaimed lace weight yarn which I plied into a fingering weight yarn:
The other two projects are making progress though. The front of the Jo Sharp rib and cable is almost done!
Since I have come back, I have been going on a spinge. Yep, a spinge. That's what my freshly-married husband calls a spinning binge. Result of the spinge? Five skeins of yarn...
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
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February 7th, 2008
11:58 am - More yarn
When I bought my Ashford Joy spinning wheel, I picked up a bag of corriedale with alpaca roving. I spun it over a year ago, but hesitated to set the twist in a uber humid climate where all yarn seemed to go mouldy. And now here it is, set in the dry Canberra climes:
It now awaits its destiny -- a cable sweater for Tofu.
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
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February 4th, 2008
02:04 pm - Twisted Sister wisdom
The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook tells us, "An ugly roving can make a beautiful yarn!". But I was skeptical. Thusly, when this soysilk roving arrived by mail order, I was ready to throw it out. Unlike the rich and dark colours in the website photo, these were garish colours, including cotton candy pink! Not my style, I thought.
It was my mother who convinced me to spin it. "If it turns out really bad, you can always just make some bed socks with it," she said. So I spun it in a really half-hearted manner. Then lo and behold, after plying and setting, it turned out to be quite a sweet yarn:
And the contrast. Note how the colours of the yarn are much more muted and pastel than the colours in the roving. This experience has certainly been instructive for me in learning how to select roving.
(x-posted to weekend_whirls)
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
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February 1st, 2008
08:11 pm - What got done in January 2008
Alas, January was a slow month for knitting and spinning. I blame it on apartment hunting, moving and a general malaise. Perhaps February shall see more completed. Perhaps.
What got completed in January:
- Jo Sharp woman's vest in sportweight yarn from stringtheoryyarn
- A pair of Knitty's Dashing fingerless mitts in Traveller Mali yarn from The Sanguine Gryphon
- Spun one skein of soysilk yarn in DK weight
What's in the knitting and spinning baskets (carryover projects):
- Laceweight stole in a Japanese pattern (still a third of the way through)
- Socks in 'Indian Corn' colourway (still on the bloody second sock and dying of boredom)
- Jo Sharp man's vest in doubleknit yarn (almost completed the front)
- A rib scarf with remnant doubleknit yarn (almost there...). This was a fossilised project that I discovered in my storage unit
- Spinning more soysilk yarn in doubleknit weight
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
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January 13th, 2008
08:39 am - Setting the twist
In Nias, I did a lot of spinning. But it was so humid, I hesitated to set the twist. You see, setting the twist involves putting skeins of yarn in mildly soapy hot water and waiting till the water goes cold. Then washing it out, thwacking it, then drying it.
I figured if I tried to do all that in Nias, the yarn would go mouldy before they could dry. Thusly, I had skeins of yarn waiting for their return to Australia. And what a pleasure it was to set the yarns!
Autumn leaves colourway merino being plied.
Burgundy colourway merino after it's been plied, waiting to be skeined and set.
Seagreens colourway merino after it's been set, waiting to be posted to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) congogirl. And oh, the green bits are a much brighter (ie., less dull) colour than seen here.
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/smileys/smile.gif) accomplished
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January 1st, 2008
09:29 am - The December 2007 report
What got completed in December:
- Cable beanie using sportweight handspun
- Handwoven scarf using laceweight 'autumn leaves' merino handspun
- Tudora ruff using commercially-spun aran yarn
- Tudora ruff using sportweight handspun
- 'Dashing' fingerless gloves using sportweight handspun
- Handwoven Richmond Tigers scarf in yellow and black
- Spun and plied 100g merino roving in 'Sea Greens' colourway by Fibreworks into fingering weight yarn
What's in the knitting basket (carryover projects):
- Jo Sharp woman's vest in sportweight yarn (only waiting for more yarn to finish neckband)
- Laceweight stole in a Japanese pattern (approximately a third of the way through)
- Socks in 'Indian Corn' colourway (onto second sock now)
- Jo Sharp man's vest in doubleknit yarn (only just starting!)
- Spinning some uber fugly soysilk yarn in doubleknit weight
Alas, I'm still waiting for the mega stash to return from Indonesia. The last I checked, it is still in Medan. In the meantime, I shall have to play with my mini stash that travelled with me. *whinge*.
Current Location: Canberra, Australia
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