#knittinghandspun

Fiber Friday Vacationing brings out my creativity. I have been spinning lovely white and black Alpaca on a Castle wheel. It is all gone, so I need to card more. I am enjoying knitting my handspun white Alpaca with my handspun hand dyed two ply Alpaca with purchased lilac Alpaca. It is the Hatteras Hug design from last year. Heaven! I have been experimenting with making my own support spindle and finally made one I like and that spins well. It is two shells hot glued together with a hole drilled all the way through for a wood stick. I am spinning Noro pencil roving on it.

Finishing Prayer Shawls This prayer shawl is knitted with 3 strands; handspun merino from 10 Mile Fiber Mill, handspun alpaca from Sundust Farms and cotton Sunseeker by Cascade Yarns. This is my current favorite dishcloth pattern.

Alpaca scarf with monogram Knitted ombré alpaca I spun from my friends’ natural fleeces. I french seamed a monogram of the initials of the recipient’s 3 children as a label.

New Purse! Used some of my lovely two ply merino along with Cascade Sunseeker to knit myself a new purse. Found the perfect button at Blue Pelican. Pleased with it.

Tour de Fleece Progress through Day 7 All Koolaid dyed Sweet Pea alpaca, some spindled (with Stellina) and the handspun alpaca shawl I started this summer. Spinning on decks, at the Lake, in the woods and on the road, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

Tour de Fleece Finish Line Still spinning Koolaid dyed alpaca, ‘Sweet Pea’ (bobbin). Clockwise; All Alpaca- steamed 2ply on niddy noddy, rose and purple alpaca from Crafty Alpaca on homemade ‘kates’, cotton on 3 spindles, tiny ball of 2ply silk (under tiara), kated black alpaca and knitting 2 strand shawl on pink needles.

Distractions! A friend gave me this beautiful acrylic button and I could not resist knitting a Cross Body bag to go with it. This is a Blue Pelican pattern knit with my handspun merino from my friend Lynda’s happy sheep, hand dyed by her. It has Cascade Sunseeker knit with it for sparkle. I used my knit 3 purl 3 prayer shawl pattern. In the background is the yummy Churro roving I am spinning right now.

Spinning update So, mostly I have been spinning black alpaca I recently washed and carded. I usually spin a rolag/puni a day on the Castle wheel. At times I idly spin some Noro rainbow roll on a support spindle because it is the easiest to teach. Today I started emptying spindles, plying on my walnut Turkish spindle. I found some Unspun icelandic wool which I am now spinning on the sweet pink 3D printed Turkish spindle a friend gave me as a thank you for showing her how to spin and card and blend. Clockwise from top; black alpaca fauxlags, Noro rainbow roll pencil roving, pink icelandic unspun, turquoise and pink balls of Noro plied with white alpaca, ‘Seashawl’ knitting, empty spindles.