As The Yarn Turns

Katrina Update

I'm almost to the armholes of my Patons Katrina top. Stockinette stitch can seem sooo endless at times. So here's another picture of top, looking much the same as the last except longer.

I like the look and feel of the yarn. The yarn has a bit of a shine to it. It's also thick but lightweight. The slight stretchiness makes it interesting to knit at times though. I try to keep an even tension but I find myself stretching it out as I knit if I'm not paying attention.

Llama and Impromptu Spinning Tools

Earlier this year we had a fiber swap on the Spindlers list where we exchanged one ounce samples of various fibers. I got some really nice fibers in the swap, all fibers that I had never spun before. One of them was this really nice, soft variegated gray llama. It's been an experience getting used to spinning llama. It kind of floats around everywhere but I'm starting to get the hang of it. It doesn't have as much of that "sticky" quality that sheep's wool has where it tends to stick to itself. If you're not careful the individual fibers will just go off and do their own thing. No group think for them. It's been slow going since I'm only spinning a little bit of it at a time. I like the looks of the end result.

Which brings me to one of my favorite subjects, how to make something out of nothing. I needed to put the singles on something. All of my dowels and other things that I put singles on were full so I grabbed easiest substitute, empty toilet paper. They actually work as well or better than dowels and there is always a ready of supply of them. I cut a small notch in one end to anchor the starting yarn, wrap the yarn, and cut a small notch in the other end for the ending yarn end. It's also handy when it comes to plying. You can make a plying box from a shoe box or other similarly shaped box. Put a knitting needle or dowel through the long end of the box with your toilet paper roll singles on them. Voila! A plying box. And I bet you've been throwing those toilet paper rolls out. You can also use paper towel rolls but I find toilet paper rolls handier.

 

by Sydney  |