Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny Questionnaire

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself? A little over a year, but on my wheel for about 2.5 months. I consider myself an advanced beginner.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)? I love 2-ply and have recently begun 3-ply and N-ply yarns.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)? Wheel. Lendrum DT

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like? I love merino (superwash or not) , BFL and alpaca. I've spun merino mixed with seacell that I adored, and merino blended with silk. Shetland was fun to spin, but I wouldn't call it a favorite. I love anything soft soft soft.

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)? The Loopy Ewe has been posting some great fiber lately. I also buy from Crack, er, Crown Mountain Farms.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try? Cormo, Llama, Qiviut, Yak

7. Are there any techniques you would like to learn? I still have so much to learn!

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn? I haven't yet, but will soon.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber? Ready to spin, please. Haven't got the tools to prep fiber. (Yet.)

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed? Um.. look at it? Take pretty pictures of it? Seriously though, I've knitted a pair of socks with one skein so far, and have plans for two others. Not enough time to knit and spin!

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)? I'd like a new WPI gauge. I have the Nancy's Knit Knacks one, but I don't care for it.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand? I'm a sucker for greens, jewel tones, and naturals. I can't think of any colors I can't stand.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now? Sakina Needles Superwash Merino, "Dusty Cornflower" colorway. (Which is fun to spin and the colors are so pretty!)

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have? knitting, photography, reading, cycling.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about? my family

16. Do you have an online wishlist? My Loopy Ewe wishlist.

17. Is there anything that you collect? My husband says I collect fiber.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have? I can't think of any books at the moment. I suscribe to Interweave Knits, Spin Off, and regularly buy the Rowan Mags when they are published.

19. When is your birthday? October 11

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality? Bridget Jones?

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)? Minnesota is just blossoming into Summer weather. It's been in the mid 70s to mid 80s with lots of sun (and a few storms here and there.) But within a month it will be hot and humid.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself! I'm double-jointed in lots of places.

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link): Beautiful Black and White photography. Doesn't matter who it's done by.

Candy: Reeces Pieces

Food: Snacks

Drink: Root Beer

Movie(s): Horror, suspense. Although, sometimes there's nothing better than a fluffy chick flick.

TV Show(s): Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs, Friends, Ugly Betty (I sacrifice the TV to my sons and husband, mostly. They hog it.)

Book(s): I love mysteries and horror!

Guilty Pleasure(s): Buying yarn and fiber when I probably shouldn't. And my Nintendo DS.

**Edited to change the fiber types that I'd like to try.**

Mother of Pearl

Ok, seriously, I know I say this every time, but I'm thrilled to pieces over this yarn!

This is The Dyeing Arts Superwash Merino in the Mother of Pearl colorway, 4oz.

I spun it very thinly, then Navajo plied it to keep the stripes intact. (But boy, did I go back and forth on whether I wanted to do that, or a regular barber-pole 2-ply.)

It wasn't until I saw the full bobbin that I knew what I was going to do.

This is my first big Navajo ply project (and only the 2nd time I've done it) and I'm so pleased with how it turned out!

4 oz, 488 yds, 21 wpi.

It's so soft!

This roving was a joy to spin. It was so effortless - no issues, no nasty ends. Just very smooth fiber that was easily drafted.

I have several of their other colors in my Loopy Ewe wishlist and hope to be ordering more sometime soon.

It was also the first time I've used the fast flyer that I bought for my Lendrum over a month ago. I was nervous to try it before, but the last yarn I spun I really had to treadle hard and fast to get the kind of speed to keep up with my hands. My poor wheel was shaking with fear at me.

Well, not literally, but there was a shimmy at some points.

So I decided I'd give it a go with this. I'm so glad I did! I was able to go much faster and actually spun far more evenly and consistenly than I have before. Yay for the fast flyer!


My husband thinks I should make something other than socks with this. He said it's far too pretty to wear on my feet. I agree - this is one that I think will need to be something I wear around my neck.

Just not really sure what that might be. I'll have to go digging through Ravelry to find something!

And just so you don't think there's never any knitting going on here anymore, here are the socks I finished for my husband for Father's Day.

Stroll Through the Forest Path

Oh my goodness, I had the most fun spinning this! I've been working on it on and off for about three weeks.

The fiber is a 70/30 Merino/Seacell blend from Creatively Dyed, Forest Path colorway.

I made a traditional 3 ply yarn and got about 564 yds at 17wpi. There were leftovers that got plied into two different mini skeins. One is a 2 ply and the other is a Navajo ply yarn.

This fiber spins like butter and the resulting yarn is just as soft! I love just running my fingers down the length of the skein.

I've got no idea what I'll make with this, but I'm immensely pleased with how it turned out.

The seacell provided a lovely sheen that my photos didn't fully capture. I do really like this one, with just the spill of the strands.


I took this on a trip with me last weekend! A friend of mine (who is blogless!), Nancy, asked our friend Aimee and me if we'd like to have a knitting/spinning weekend at her cabin. We went and had such a lovely time! Lots of knitting, a little spinning, and lots of relaxation!

When I got back, I set out to finally finishing this. I really wanted to see what it would look like when it was done, so I spun like crazy on Tuesday and plied like crazy yesterday. Skeined and washed it before work last night and woke up to beautiful dry yarn this morning!

It bloomed a bit in the washing, which I love. It's very squishy and soft.
**edited to add the photo of it in progress.**

Handspun Socks!

My very first project with my own handspun yarn.

Truly truly thrilling.

Needless to say, I'm very proud of these socks.

In a conversation with a friend last week, we were talking about whether we'd knit anything with our handspun or not. I said no, and thought how ridiculous that was.

So last Friday night I wound up the yarn and off I went. Sock #1 was done Sunday afternoon and Sock #2 was finished a day later. Literally could not put them down.

Details:

Pattern: my own modifications on Feather and Fan
Yarn: my own handspun, Blue Faced Leicester
Needles: Knit Picks NP Fixed, US 1, 2.5mm 32" circular
Started: Friday, May 30, 2008
Finished: Monday, June 2, 2008

They are so soft and squishy! And warm. I wore them around last night and while I was spinning. Love these socks!