WIP Wednesday: February 17, 2016

For all the details, please see the podcast, episode 5, which is now live:

Otherwise, for the drive-by version:

Sekret Knitting:
The only deadline project I'm working on right now is the final sweater due March 8th.  I'm about 2/3rds of the way up the body to where I need to cast off for the underarms and then shape the rest of the garment top.  I've got sleeve 1 started, and I'll get that and the body finished up for sure this week, and hopefully get sleeve 2 cast on (and done if possible), which will just leave the front bands/collar and finishing to do when I get home!

Personal Knitting:  The only things on the needles right now are self-striping sock yarn samples.  I'm cutting myself off from any other personal projects for a bit while I finish my deadline knitting with the carrot that I get to start a new handspun shawl project if I can free up those needles.

WIP Wednesday: February 10, 2016

Sekret Knitting:

• I finished up the second Heroines Club shawl and blocked it.  I even shot photos for it yesterday and my tester is finishing up her version. 
• I'm halfway up sleeve #1 of the current sweater project, and I've cast on for the body.  I had some detail at the bottom hem I needed to fuss with regarding numbers, but that was less painful than I thought it might be (easy in fact), and so I am now cruising along on the body.  This is my focus project for the next couple of weeks. 

Personal Knitting:

• I finished my Dewberry cowl and love it!  It's soft and drapey, and was a quick fun project that used up some handspun.  What's not to love?  My version used a sportweight yarn - the pattern was written for Aran, so it's a bit smaller than the original.  I'm actually thinking I might knit it again in a heavier yarn just because.

• With Dewberry off the needles, I cast on a Quaker Yarn Stretcher with my recently spun Mirro Lake colorway BFL from Three Waters Farm.  I'm a bit farther along since this picture was taken - I knit on this during the Superbowl this weekend, and it's a quick and easy knit as well, so I made a lot of progress on it. 

At the rate I'm going, I'll probably have this finished up this weekend as well, and I've selected a more complex pattern to knit up with a gradient skein of handspun for my next on-the-needles project. 

• I have finished up the March self-striping socks colorway - those will preview on the podcast on Monday.

WIP Wednesday: February 3. 2016

For those of you following along on the antics via the Podcast, Episode 4 is now live!

For those of you here for just a quick drive-by update, here ya go!

Sekret Knitting:

• Sweater #2 of 3 is finished!  Sample is knit, blocked, buttons are on and it's ready for photography.  The draft is off in the capable hands of my TE for review as we speak.
• So I'm working on sweater 3 of 3.  Just started the first sleeve and I'll be working on the sleeves this week while I am finishing up the last bit of...
• The second Heroines Club Shawl pattern.  I'm in the final repeat of the biggest lace pattern, so hoping to have that off the needles by the end of the weekend and blocked!

Personal Knitting:

• I finished my Hogmanay Shawl.  If you are interested, you can find all the details on my Ravelry project page here.  A very successful project - I love how the pattern worked up in handspun.  I was able to use just about every yard of the skein too - win/win! 

• Having that off the needles, I cast on my next handspun project - the Dewberry Cowl by Hilary Smith Callis.   This one I'm knitting up in a handspun gradient in the Iceberg colorway that I spun up on Falkland from the shop.  Currently, I'm through the first 2 pattern sections and about to start section 3. 

• And finally, I'm still cranking thru samples of self-striping sock colorways.  I have a half-dozen of single socks right now, since I'm trying to keep ahead of new colorway releases, but this summer when things are a bit quieter (or sometime soon!) I need to get mates knit up.  Drives me crazy to have half-pairs of socks finished.

Spinning Friday: November 6, 2015

This week, I finished spinning the singles and plied the gradient I was working on last week.

Yarn Specs:
Roving:  Hilltop Cloud gradient pack in "Lake Shore" colorway, a blend of 50% merino wool, 37.5% shetland wool and 12.5% linen (flax).
Weight: Fingering weight.
Ply: 2-ply.
Yardage: 574 yards/5.1 oz.

I hadn't spun this particular blend before (it's a custom blend from Hilltop Cloud), but I loved it.  Rustic look with the flax, but enough merino in there that it's still passably soft.  I did pretty well on spinning the singles evenly.  I had only about 2-1/2 yards of singles left on one bobbin after I plied, so the color shifts lined up pretty nicely!

With this spin, I'm within a pound of reaching my 7.5 pounds spun in 2015 goal!  I'm hoping I can finish up the next 14 ounces in the next weeks before the year's end!