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Monday, March 11, 2013

Knitting With Handspun is the Most Rewarding Thing Ever

I just finished two projects, both of which, quite frankly, are amazing. I don't like to toot my own horn too loud, but dudes, I rocked these. Both are from handspun yarns I made last year. Knitting with handspun is the bomb.

First, because it's more amazing than anything I've ever done, even if the pictures are a bit meh: my Pomme de Pin Cardigan. I bought a fabulous local organically raised Romney fleece, washed it, carded it, and spun about 900g during Tour de Fleece last year.


 I really enjoyed Amy Christoffers' pattern. It doesn't have any shaping so it creates a cozy, casual silhouette (read: it doesn't make me look magically thin). The buttons are applewood, from Pymatuning Crafts.


Mods: a slightly wider button band. It creates a shawl-collar-like effect and adds a little extra width, as I had some gauge issues and the sweater came out a bit smaller than I planned.

Things I have learned: If you just can't get a good colour balance when editing a photo, take the colour out entirely!
Also I had awesome eye makeup that day. Base of light pink, lined in dark rose pink, inner corners in sunflower yellow, centre of lid in melon orange, and outer and contours in bronze brown. I like unnatural and bright eyeshadow - my eyelids are no more shimmery beige than they are hot pink, so I may as well have fun, right?

I'm exactly as tired as I look. All the time. Yawwwwn.
Not-a-pro-tip: a fine tip paint brush from Michaels costs $4.99 and makes an amazing precision eyeliner brush.

Second: my Damask shawl. This bottom-up pattern is by Kitman Figueroa. I didn't love the pattern until I saw the Yarn Harlot's handspun gradient version. I needed one too!


The fibre was from Loop, in the Desert Dawn colourway.


It's a fingering weight chain-ply, and it has sparkles!!! (Sparkles get extra exclamation points. They are the enthusiastic punctuation of the yarny world, after all).


Soft neutrals aren't usually my thing, but this time they just sing to me. Maybe it's because spring is here.


I admit, I was a little weirded out knitting a shawl bottom-up, but the last rows of the project just flew by because they were so short. I'm so proud of this project, and I'm looking forward to having an occasion to really show it off.

6 comments:

  1. ohmygoodness! em! you've done such an amazing job!!! i love them both! and handspun at that! booyeah! i need to get my hands on more of your yarn... justsayin' :) xoox

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    1. Thank you my dear! I have so much yarn dyed up right now - if you can't make it to fibres west I'm sure I'll bring something back with me to tempt you :)

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  2. They look fab!! That sweater is so involved... the whole thing lace! And the shawl... drool... love the colours. Goodjob!

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    1. The amazing thing about the sweater pattern is that the lace repeat is so easy! It's only over a few stitches, and it's only a 6 row thing! I loved knitting it because it never got boring.

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  3. Woo! Cardigan! Woo! Eyemakeup! Woo! Shawl!
    I hope I'll have a chance to see Damask in person sometime - it looks so pretty in the pictures but it's not quite the same. I really like the sort of eyelet cables - this one might well end up in the queue!
    And you know you are totally my spinning hero, right? That sweater is truly a thing to behold!

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    1. Isn't the damask a lovely pattern? Thos little eyelet things are amazing - I thought they were cables but it's actually a totally different thing that I'd never done before! And not to tempt you, but spinning for a sweater is likely the most rewarding crafty thing I've ever done. I totally recommend it!

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