Neverending Scarves

Scarves are great!  I can actually wear them in mild California (all those people dealing with snow get to knit endless hats, mittens, gloves...there's only a few weeks out of the year that it is cold enough to wear those).

But.

They take forever.  I knit socks a lot, and they probably have the same amount of stitches, if not more.  Socks are interesting, though.  You've got the toe, the foot, the heel, and the ankle (I like my socks toe-up) and are always just a few inches from the next bit.  With a scarf, though, it's one thing.  Over and over.  With no end in sight!

At least that's how I'm feeling about this scarf...

It's about 3 feet long now, which means I want to try to double the size still.  The entrelac is looking really cool, at least!  I'm using Patons SWS in Natural Garden, and it's got some great colors in it.  I'm usually a cool-colors person (bring on the blue and purple!) but these browns and tans are a nice change.

This weekend, I am attempting to get at least another foot done.  Wish me luck!

Mermaid Handspun Yarn

Spun more than three weeks ago, but just getting the pics now! 

When spinning this yarn, I was aiming for a "super thin yarn"...so it ended up about sport weight.  A combination of my Louet and my patience means that most yarn ends up worsted to bulky, but I wanted something a little closer to sock yarn.

 

Mermaid transitions from red violet to lime green, with no repeat.  I was trying to do something similar to Noro yarns, that have long color stretches that blend seamlessly.

Above, you can see it as a skein.  I just want to stroke it and hold it and never actually knit it!  Ever since I started spinning, I've had trouble actually breaking into a skein to knit.  That means I have a lot of "decorative" skeins lying around.

Obligatory quarter shot!  Gives an idea of the differences in thickness.

In knitting news, I am half of the way through a pair of socks and now trudging along diligently.  The start of school and my new job means less sit-in-front-of-the-computer-and-knit time.  I suppose that's good, since Netflix was running out of documentaries to watch.

Jack-o-Lantern 2-ply Handspun

I love a good, colorful 2-ply!  It's something that you almost never see in commercial yarn.  I love that I can make yarn that is unique and in my favorite colors.  It's also great to just randomly order the colors and be surprised by the combinations that result from the plying.

Here it is, Jack-o-Lantern!  I just chose 5 colors, and was surprised when it turned into a super-Halloweeny yarn.  You can see the the Ravelry page here.   Click for a major close-up of the gorgeous yarn!

Jack-o-Lantern is 172 yards and 3.5 ounces.  It has purple, yellow, lime green, orange, and black in it and varies from about sport to worsted weight. 

Above you can see a picture of the entire skein.  There are a lot of places where the colors matched up, so it will have solid stripes when you knit it up.  I honestly don't know what I'd knit with this, though, because it is just so awesome as is.

This is the center-pull ball that I made in order to ply the yarn.  This is my favorite method of plying because you don't end up with an extra, like you would if you had two bobbins.

Castle in the Clouds Handspun Yarn

Last week, for the first time in months, I picked up some wool and spun it.  I had a beautiful batt that I carded with different hand-dyed wool and sparkle fibers (Angelina, I think) a while ago.  I spun it up thick and plied it, which made a bulky, squishy yarn.  My go-to method of plying is Navajo plying, which is also called chain plying, and creates a 3-ply.  I love this because you don't have to worry about spinning 2 exact amounts like in 2-ply, or alternatively making a center-pull ball to ply ends together.  It gives great stripes, even when there are only subtle differences in the colors. 

Click for larger!

This yarn is 2.5 ounces and about 50 yards.  I think it would be perfect for a headband or wristwarmers, though probably not enough for a scarf.  The colors remind me of fairy tales and the sky, hence "Castle in the Clouds".  

 

I have a couple more batts that I'm wanting to spin.  I am in awe of the spinners who consistently spin beautiful sock yarn.  I simply don't have that kind of patience!  Also, my Louet seems better suited for worsted weight and up.

As for the Rainbow Striped Sock, I am still working on it!  Right now I am increasing for the heel, so a little under half of the way done.  Hopefully I'll get it finished in the next week before school starts and everything gets crazy again!