It was a good weekend for fiber.

Where to start, where to start?  I  have both spinning and knitting content today.  First up is the spinning, because I know you've been waiting to see the new wheel and what I can do with it.  Here is the wheel in the new office, please forgive the blue sheet back-drop - my file cabinet is super ugly (anybody have a creative suggestion for how to dress it up?).  I love-love-love this wheel.  This last week, while still waiting for the last of my sweater yarn to get here, I spun up 4oz of hand painted roving (100% wool, no idea what kind) into a light-ish fingering weight yarn (click for larger picture).   I need to make a wpi measure so I can better know my final product.  I really debated plying this as chained singles, but I was afraid to lose the yardage, good thing too because I wouldn't have had enough for socks.  This skein, and one slightly smaller one, total 500 yards (I just know it's lighter than fingering weight, but I refuse to call it lace weight).  The second skein has several bands where the colors plied at the same time, instead of plying with another color.  It will make for some interesting socks.
The last of my sweater yarn came in on Friday.  I was waiting on the main color, Harrisville calls it "Suede", I call it gray.  I had swatched with the little bit of gray Weaving Works had when I picked up the first batch of yarn; I was ready to dive right in and go.  Well, I was ready to dive right in after I made an hour's worth of calculations on size adjustments (I'm bigger than the "large" size, snort).  This sweater is different because it is knit in the round from the bottom to the top, then steeked in the middle. THEN you pick up stitches up the front right, cast on 6 for a steek, pick up stitches down the front left, cast on 6 for a steek, join with the front right and knit in the round the front middle of the sweater.  Spooky, I know.  Because of this construction I wanted to pay special attention to where the pattern fell when I added a few inches to the circumference.  Actually, I think this made it a little easier, but until I had actually done it and kind of sketched it out I was a little afraid.  I suppose time will tell how well I did.  Once the math was done I cast on (it took an hour) and dove in.  What you see is one weekend's worth of knitting.  Any bets on when I'll finish?

Comments

[Rosa]

Well the Schacht is a dream wheel, and I am sure you are getting great use of it. I LOVE the multicolored handspun. That is fabulous. I am too afraid to design or sizing the pattern, so I can't wait to see what you dreamed up.