Saturday, February 16

Carnival handspun & more contest prizes

It's been another busy week. I'm working on a new shawl pattern design. This one will be a fast knit for beginners. It should have been finished by now but Solitaire decided to scratch the thumb and index finger on my right hand. I know she didn't mean to do it. The scratches are more like paper cuts and even though I disinfected and medicated them, they're sore as all blazes. Washing my hands and how dry they are this winter hasn't helped them heal up any faster. They've been a little too tender to try to knit.

I've tried to cast on for a pair of toe up socks with the remaining yarn from the red shawl I just finished. Patons Kroy must be a thinner than normal sock yarn because I'm having a devil of a time getting the toe stitches tight enough. I may have to give up and find another yarn for socks.

I pulled out some really brightly dyed Rambouillet combed top to spin. There was a little piece as well as a 3.4 oz ball. I spun up the small bit and plyed it. I'm not happy with the way it turned out. I love the bright colors in the fiber but spun up it looks too wild and crazy. I'm thinking this would have looked much better plyed with a single of black or gray. I will probably sell what's left of this fiber. The yarn I spun weighs 1.2 oz with an amazing 232 yards! Top spins much finer than carded roving.

Two more prizes are being added to the "What Can I Make With? contest. Amelia of The Bellwether donated two of her handspun mini balls of yarn. (Thanks, Amelia!) There's nothing "mini" about this yarn! The purple one is 258 yards of fingering weight yarn in a blend of wool, silk, viscose, tencel and silk noil. The blue one is 208 yards of fingering weight yarn in a blend of wool, silk, tencel, and viscose. Both are simply gorgeous and have me itching to knit one of them up! These prizes will be added to the pot when the patterns on the list hit 350 and 400. Check out more of her handspun in her Etsy shop.

The pattern total stands at 330. Yes, I have more links to post. Be patient as it takes me quite a bit of time to get them posted.

Please spread the word that the contest is still open and I'm still taking entries. I challenge everyone who reads my blog to find just one pattern to add to this list. You know you're going to use it someplace down the road when you have a ball of yarn or leftovers you want to use up.

2 comments:

catmum said...

a tip for your sore fingers: I have the same problem, a kitty that occasionally plays too rough. After thorough disinfection, use some of the Nu-Skin, either paint on or spray on. Couple of coats. It's awesome stuff and really helps any kind of hangnail owies, papercuts, etc. Great stuff.

Turtle said...

Good suggestion of the nu skin, had not thought of that although we use it when backpacking. Hmmm...another use!

Beautiful yarns added to the stash.