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Pat's Knitting and Quilting

November 19, 2009
Coming Up for Air

In the moments I haven't been playing on my new spinning wheel, I finished these beautiful lace edged fingerless gloves. My 2nd attempt at spinning on a spindle created the yarn for these.

reading mitts reading mitts

Pattern: Susie's Reading Mitts
Size: Women's small (with adjustments noted below )
Yarn: 56 grams (133 yards) spindle spun Ashland Bay Merino 12 WPI - approx. DK wt.
Needles: 2 mitts together on 1 40" US5 (3.75mm) circular needle
Modifications: Knit size small, but increased the thumb gusset to 13 stitches and picked up 3 stitches in gap when starting thumb - also had 36 stitches around instead of 35 so lace pattern would work evenly.
reading mitts

Carol (Mad For Knit) ran the Boston half marathon in October, supporting Dana Farber Institute - she raised $1600.00 !! I won this beautiful Stitchy Mushroom project bag in her prize drawing. A beautiful and very well made bag that is perfect for a small sock/mitten project. Thank you Carol and Stitchy Mushroom :-)

stitchy mushroom bag

I've been completely absorbed in my new world of spinning - making yarn sure is fun! I think Gayle said it best in her last comment..." I like the same thing about fiber - the potential. Watching it become yarn is so fascinating. And then knitting with it. So much more entertainment for your fiber dollar!"

This is the very first yarn I've made with the new wheel. It is Corriedale Wool from Sunset Fibers. Sara said, in a recent blog post, that this pin drafted fiber is VERY easy to draft - seemed like a good pick for my first try at the wheel. I didn't love the colors, so decided to use it, figuring if it was awful, I could just dump it.

Well I didn't dump it, BUT I did dunk it in the dye pot and now it is this skein of beautiful red yarn that I'll use for a hat or mittens.

dye handspun

I have learned so much in the past week - It is exciting and scary to be such a beginner in this new adventure. Half the time, I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and then every once in awhile it all seems to click and go smoothly.

spinning

fat cat merino

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