Spin Autumn into February

I have been spinning the challenging pewter merino. It is in Top, yet the fibers are exceedingly short!  So, it is slow and frustrating going.  I will be much more careful of what I purchase from now on! Three spinners have urged me to return the product!

It has taken most of the enjoyment out of spinning.  To get through, I am listening to 'The Lovely Bones' read by the author as I spin.

Finally plied half of this fiber into what is an inviting yarn!  Surprise!  Worth all the effort! Yes, that is a local Widow-Maker near to my entry. I still haven't decided whether to weave it or knit, and then, which texture?  It will be a neck scarf for a man.

When this is finished, I will spin COLOR!  Ixchel Bunny's colorways of merino and angora.
In the past, I mentioned there should be rights of passage for  spinners and knitters.
Say, when one finishes the first wearable out of one's own handspun yarn.
Or, when one finishes their first lace project, successfully!

Will I ever get there?
I have woven a top, and worn it, knitted things and worn them.  Made knitted things for others out of my own homespun, yet, have still to make myself something from my own homespun!It may seem like a small challenge, but it will be my fiber challenge this year!

Now in the possession of a drum carder designed for the fine alpaca and angora I choose to work with, this may lead to the next step forward, an old dream of selling fine products for spinners!

Will my neck and shoulder injuries allow this?  Learning to accept and live in a certain degree of pain and restriction, to suffer for my fiber desires, is becoming a way of life.  How will I ever pull the beater on the loom, LO!?

Scrunchy neck scarf finished!

Scrunchy, soft, warm winter neck scarf is finished! Took me 10 weeks!

All the yarn is my own homespun. This was a delight to work with!

The pattern was a simple K1, *(P1, K1), *repeat across. I did this on 6's.

I am excited to not only have re-taught myself to knit, but to have finished a
project entirely in my homespun, homespun made for the project, and no pattern!
There should be a rights of passage badge for this!

How about rights of passage badges in the fiber arts! I like that idea!
First handknit pair of socks, first successful lace project, etc.

I will have difficulty parting with this to the person it was made for.

Just Keep Knitting...

and knitting, and knitting.

Have I learned anything? Sure!

I am now 1/3 of the way, and so tedious!

I spin fine, and now I'm learning that it

takes forever, and fine knitting skills to work with

fine yarn.

Needed 5's for the brown.

I have been spinning for many years, and not used

much of my own yarn. sold plenty, though.

My first homespuns, I wove into a rug. This is my second time knitting with my homespun.

Must invest in smaller needles!

My life is so disrupted. In all this moving, my Knitting Tote with 80% of my needles has gone

missing!

This is truly a 'primitive' scarf.

Return to spinning and knitting! Yeah!

Spinning and knitting again! Had to relearn to knit.
I am soooo spoiled by my homespun yarns!
Can't keep my fingers out of it!

Making a neck scarf to keep Ernie warm.
He wanted the colors of the woods, and nothing
bright. So I am working in sage, spruce, browns,
grays with a touch of blue and white.

Most of this yarn was spun in his apartment a
few years ago on my old faithful Louet S75.
I included some of Honey Bunny in with Alpaca
from a trip to the Northeast Alpaca Farm in
Whately, MA. The registered shetland was from
Cairn Farm in Vt.

Ernie was friends with Honey Bunny, and helped me
to bury him on his land.

The scarf will consist of this and lots of Merino.
This is all spun for the project on the Majacraft.
Yes, we are getting along better now!

I will have photos soon of it in progress.

It is all a simple KPKPKPK for each row.
This gives a wonderful texture! And Reversible!
Most of the 2 ply yarn is DK size, so I am working on
6's, and it is slow.

This brought me to a need to know which patterns were
reversible...? There is a book out there, but I wanted a
simpler guide. Am I formulating ideas for a beginners
guidebook?

My new neighbor asked me to teach her to knit.
I had never done that before, and it was great fun!
We tried to watch 'Out of Africa' at the same time!