When I was at the Autumn Home Show last month I was tempted into buying some dyed and carded polwarth fibre from Sharon of Jumbuck Carding. There was only 85 grams left of the heathered sliver (top-left), so I nabbed that, and a quantity of a solid purple.

Heathered Purple Polwarth

I didn't have a plan for them when I purchased (no surprise, I'm sure), but got spinning pretty quickly, at first on my old Traveller (now gifted to Mum), and then on my new Joy.. Soon I had 170 grams of about a sport weight yarn (plying together a single of each sliver), ready to knit. But what to knit?!

Not a scarf, or a hat, or a fraction of a jersey. So, mittens or gloves it was. I did eventually settle on a fingerless glove pattern, but given that I had no real plan before, I saw no need to stick to it. As you've probably gathered from the title of this entry, I made mittens!

One Thumb

Right Mitten

Call me a heretic, but I didn't work them in the round, preferring to use straight needles, and then seam. I do dislike rangling dpns for fingers and thumbs.

Anyway, the mittens are nice and soft, and a pretty heathere colour! I'm very pleased with both my spinning, and my knittings. And that my fingers are warm!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Spinning Wheel

A little over a week ago, I made what could be labelled an impulsive purchase. One I really never thought I would make. I bought a (second hand) spinning wheel.

I've maintained for several years that I would never take up spinning - rather like my assertion that I will never take up quilting (but not quite so emphatic as that one).

I'm not the most coordinated person in the world (unless you're talking matching shoes to an outfit), and in the couple of times I'd tinkered with my Mum's wheel it was plainly obvious that my usual inability to do use my hands and feet at the same time with purpose (I usually only swing one arm when walking) and complete lack of patience and dislike at not being good at not being good at things, all meant that spinning and I would not gel.

So, why do I now have a spinning wheel? I'm not really sure. But I can report that with a little perserverance, and rather a lot of swearing, I'm actually spinning yarn that looks like yarn. Knitting it, even (a cushion cover and hat, so far). I'm seeing improvement, and that's enough to keep me going!

Read and post comments | Send to a friend