FO Friday: Knit, Crochet & Spin!

Happy FO Friday! Today I have a project to share from each of my fiber-related hobbies: knitting, crocheting, and spinning!

I bound off for this Mesh Top on January 5, but it's taken some time to weave in all the ends, block properly, and take some decent photos, hence the delay in sharing it on this blog. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out - honestly, I just assumed it would be a huge disaster - laceweight yarn and I aren't on very friendly terms. I'm surprised that it didn't take longer to knit, and I think it'll be nice to wear this spring. I used a pattern from Patternfish (the Filtes Shetland 1354 Open Dolman by Michelle Porter) and only used one and half skeins of Bijou Basin Ranch Shangri-La, which is a luxurious 50-50 blend of yak and silk. I have enough left over to make something fun, too (just as soon as I'm ready to get back on the laceweight bandwagon).

Last week, I crocheted these birds for our kickstarter rewards for the two people who selected the custom-made bird option. The pattern is Stacey Trock's Amigurumi Blue Bird from her Amigurumi Woodland Animals Craftsy Class. I love this pattern, it's so easy and fun to make!

This week, we delivered all of the rewards that didn't involve the actual 7" single (which is currently at the pressing plant). It's exciting to check a few more items off of our to-do list!

I haven't had much time to play with my fancy new Ladybug wheel due to the holiday hoopla, but I'd been working on a spinning project when my new wheel arrived, which meant I had to finish said project on the old wheel - well, at least spinning the single. Once I got that finished, I navajo-plied it on my new wheel, which was a slow process for me since this was my first attempt (other than a few practice runs on leftover singles). I love the fiber, which is a 50-50 Tussah Silk/Merino blend from Miss Babs. I chose this colorway, Fog Bank, for a special fiber friend whose favorite color is purple. Hopefully it's already arrived at its destination before this blog posts, because I don't think I can wait another day to share it!

All things considered, my first navajo-plied yarn turned out pretty well. I'm very excited to start a new spinning project this weekend; 2013 is going to be about spinning through my stash, experimenting with my wheel, and trying new fibers and techniques. I think it would be amazing if I could literally spin every fiber in my bin. Perhaps I should take an inventory so that I can check my progress off as I go?

Aaaaand, if you still need some lovely FO's to look at, hop on over to the Tami's Ami's blog for all the FO Friday fun you can handle!

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b...

A Finished Sweater, With Cat Hair

After losing Tilly and Robin within a year of each other, I sure didn't think I'd be finding cat hair in my knitting any time soon. But the universe had other ideas. Over the winter, a white feral cat adopted us. I'd noticed her when we moved into our apartment last summer - I would see her hiding in the bushes or sunning herself in the grass when she thought no one was looking. I assumed she was someone's cat until I realized how skittish she was around humans, plus she had a tipped ear, which is a universal sign that a feral/stray cat has been spayed. Neighbors confirmed that she was a feral kitty (descended from several generations of feral cats, in fact), and that she has survived on her wits and whatever food various residents put out for her. We had some bitterly cold days over the winter, and I just felt so sorry for this poor kitty! I started offering her treats and slowly gained her trust. She didn't even want to come inside our apartment at first, much le...

Australian Superfine Merino Yarn Review & Giveaway

After more than ten years of knitting, I can still have new experiences - even with well-covered territory such as merino yarn! This recent merino experience actually took me by surprise: I've spun with it, I've dyed it, I've knit with it, and I've even crocheted with it...I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about merino! Turns out, there are four different classifications of merino fiber, sorted by micron count range . At the bottom of the spectrum is Strong Merino , which ranges from 26-22.9 microns; above that is Fine Merino , which ranges from 20.1-23 microns; next up is Extra Fine Merino, which ranges from 20-15.6 microns; and at the very top of the heap is Superfine Merino Wool , with a micron range of 18.5-15.6. If you're into numbers and wondering how these four classes stack up against other fibers you may be familiar with, here are a few for comparison's sake: BFL (Blue-Faced Leicester) has a micron range of 24-28, Cashmere goat down ...

handmade by stefanie

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