Saturday, January 10, 2009

Spin Cycle

I've been knitting away on my Aran Cardigan. It's rather slower going than usual, due to the moderate complexity of the cables, but very satisfying. I still have to read the charts as I knit, so I'm only about halfway through the left front so far. That's fine, since the cables are only on the fronts. The rest of the body and the sleeves and collar are all just 3x3 ribbing, which will fly by.

I've also been spinning away on the roving I want to use for Wisteria. I have three 100 gram, 2-ply skeins spun. Here are the first two:

The color is pretty accurate in these pictures. In this closeup you can almost see the green and pink tones in the grey (they're a little bit more noticeable in person):

I'm not the world's greatest spinner. As you can see, even my plied yarn is not especially even. But I've found the knitted fabric disguises a lot of the unevenness. (I tell myself that it doesn't matter; if I wanted perfectly smooth, even yarn, I could just buy machine spun and be done with it. I don't quite believe it.) My yarn may not be perfectly spun, but man is it soft! It's 70% merino, 30% silk. The roving is like buttah, I tell ya. I've spun it fairly tightly to help prevent pilling, but even so the finished yarn is soft, with an itch factor of zero--important for a high-necked design.

I think I've got close to the right gauge. I'm getting 9 wpi (wraps per inch), which is a worsted weight and the same wpi as the yarn called for in the pattern. But common sense tells me this yarn is heavier than worsted weight. Maybe aran? I don't think I've entered into bulky territory, though. I'm hoping I can make this work with the pattern. I wish the pattern had smaller sizing; even the smallest is a little big for me, and if my yarn is indeed heavier, I'd prefer to knit a size down from what I would usually pick. I may have to make some changes to the pattern to accommodate this yarn, but I think I can make it work.

Three skeins down, five to go!

16 comments:

Lori said...

Your yarn for Wisteria is BEAUTIFUL! I agree that knitting handspun evens out some of the not even spots... or so I tell myself also.

sheep#100 said...

As a heads up, what's the yardage on the Aran Cardigan?

Anonymous said...

Wisteria will be gorgeous in that yarn. Absolutely gorgeous.

At Home Mommy Knits said...

Your yarn is beautiful! I imagine your Wisteria will be gorgeous!

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

I continue to be amazed at your ability to tackle many projects at once. Your spinning looks phenomenal!!

Lydee said...

it's beautiful! so soft looking.

Fibra Artysta said...

Your yarn is gorgeous, its going to be beautiful!

BammerKT said...

What you're telling yourself is 100% spot on. I feel the same about my spinning. If I wanted perfectly even yarn, i would just buy it. It's certainly easier and quicker. It's wonderful to see you embracing the CHARM (aka my word for the uneven or lumps and bumps of my handspun) of your handspun and recognizing how much you can hide when it's knit up.

Anonymous said...

Very pretty yarn!

Karen said...

Your yarn looks great. It's very pretty! I like the subtle bits of color. It'll make a beautiful sweater.

Romi said...

Very pretty! I've been spinning a lot, too. :)

Kim said...

Love the pops of pink and green in your handspun, which looks awesome. Your plying is excellent! Any little bits of unevenness won't show once it's knit up.

Jen said...

The yarn is gorgeous! It's going to be so pretty knit up! :)

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Your yarn is lovely.. I really like the little flecks of colour!

Unknown said...

Okay, I am beginning to suspect you are a made up person. You knit sweaters very quickly, you spin, you lawyer and you are a wife and a mother. On top of that you are attractive and always look good in the pics. Mmmmm....maybe a case for Fox and Mulder here.

Anonymous said...

Nice spinning!