Knitting Projects
-
More on the Spotted Fleece – Jacob
I thought it was time to post an update to “Spinning the Spotted Fleece”. The sweater now has a name. It will be called Jacob. I will probably do a pattern for it after I’ve knit it in another colour pattern for variety. I’ve had quite a few orders for handspun yarns so the knitting is coming along rather slowly. I’m at the neck shaping. We tried it on and it’s within an inch of exact measurements which makes me very happy. That can definitely be worked out with washing and blocking.
-
2 New Luxury Angora Baby Gifts
I am working really hard to get some of my special hand knits listed here on the web site and in the Etsy store. Today I got 2 more really special Angora garments listed that would be perfect for baby gifts. One for a baby boy and one for a baby girl. These are both one of a kind garments. There is no pattern available yet and I have not knit them again in any other form. Each was designed specifically for that particular special garment. They are both luxury items which would be perfect heirloom gift. Ok, enough talk, lets see the pictures! Little Boy Blue Whisper Angora and…
-
2 New Luxury Items Bison, Cashmere or Baby Alpaca
It ended up taking me far too long but I managed to get 2 new luxury items posted for sale here, on Etsy and in all of my Social Media pages as well as new projects posted in Craftsy and Ravelry. Handknit Lace Wrap Bison and Cashmere Peru Baby Alpaca – Baby Surprise Jacket in Newborn size Enough talk, here are the images 🙂
-
Little Boy Blue
Sneak Peek Angora baby sweater coming next week for sale here in the shop and on Etsy. Angora Rabbit Fiber: Spun, Dyed, and knit by hand Now Available to order One of a kind Angora rabbit baby sweater handknit in the softest and finest handspun and hand dyed angora yarn. This is definitely next to the skin soft! An original design that I created just for this cardigan so it is truely a One of a Kind (OAK) garment. The front band features 5 handmade buttons. A very special little sweater that would make a wonderful heirloom quality gift. SIZE: The sweater will fit a baby or toddler of approximately…
-
Spinning the Spotted Fleece
The testing and planning for this project may just be the most fun part. I have now washed, carded or combed, spun and knit swatches (or small projects) from 4 of my stashed fleeces. I’ve been working with the multi coloured fleeces this time because I wanted some colour texture in my sweater. This one is a Jacob from Great Britain. It’s for Earl. I considered my choices for working with the stark contrast of the colours in this fleece. I could do a relatively homogeneous blending for a smooth mottled look, I could keep the colour separate and ply a white with a black for a ragg look, or…
-
A Second “SWatch Cap” Hat
I’m still working on the wool fleeces. I brought 4 of them in and only one was un-usable. It just has so much chaff embedded in the fleece that I find I don’t have the patience or desire to work with this one at all. I’m trying to decide which of the other 3 fleeces I want to use to make the man’s sweater that I have in mind. I need gauge swatches for the measurements but I also need them to see how each of the yarns will perform for me. I know what I want in terms of softness, drape, body, colour and attitude. For my gauge swatch…
-
Quicky Rolled Brim (somewhat slouchy) Hat
Don’t laugh, there were no other heads around and I wanted to show it to you on someone! More photos below :0 Unlike you, I am not very fond of knitting a gauge swatch so … after I spun up some of the fleece I got out yesterday … I decided that I would knit a hat to determine my gauge. I really, quite like it. Great fit and not likely to give me “flat head” and definitely very warm. The textured look from the slubs in the handspun give it a wonderful personality. The simple designs helps to showcase the “hand spun-ness” of the yarn. Order the handspun wool…
-
Hello Kitty – Horray!
I don’t know about you but I am almost as opposed to finishing as I am in love with knitting. It took a lot of self-control but I managed to put a face on “Hello Kitty” today for my sweetheart Alice. This is her dream hat for this year and she really appreciates the stuff I make her. What an amazing girl she is. I used Beadwhore Knitting’s pattern and it was very helpful. I just adjusted the stitches to my gauge and cast on. I used coins to help me visualize the best placement for the face and outline stitched around them to show me where to go with my…
-
Washing a Wool Fleece
Today I got out a couple of beautiful fleeces that I had stored over the garage for a few years. They came from a huge sheep ranch in Australia that specialized in raising coloured sheep especially for the hand spinning market. I was fortunate enough to visit for 2 weeks at sheering time, working in the shed and getting my pick of that year’s sheering. It was an oportunity of a lifetime and I will never forget it. Getting out the fleece today made me so happy. They are still perfect! I attribute this to the storage containers we used. They are a very strong cardboard with metal bottom and…
-
Another One – the Reversible Watch Cap / Skull Cap / Beanie again
Just finished and wanted to show you another version of the watch cap pattern that I originally wrote about here (includes the free pattern). This one is knit with Austerman “Peru” Alpaca yarn (now discontinued, I’m afraid). It’s a lovely soft “sport” weight Alpaca. This shows that although a fingering or sock yarn is recommended a sport weight yarn will work just as well. I used the same needle size (2.5 mm) and the same # of stitches. This one is for Aidan. Hope you like it kiddo? Earl (DH) is jealous. He thought it was for him so I’ll get to work on another one. Since I can’t make…
