My Heart in a Skein

I started spinning more than a dozen years ago, at a time when I was very very into knitting socks. I mean, I'm still into knitting socks, but back then I was really churning them out at a very high rate. My interest in spinning came primarily from wanting to spin my own sock yarn, something I achieved fairly quickly (thanks, Type A personality!). Every spinner will likely tell you they have a default yarn -- that is, the yarn they tend to spin when they don't think about what they're doing or get distracted when trying to spin something else. For me, that default is a three-ply fingering weight yarn. I have to really pay attention if I want to spin something different, but the good news is that most of the time I'm perfectly happy to spin fingering weight yarn.

Over the past couple of weeks, as I've been working (or "working," depending on the day) from home, and as the news of the world has gotten grimmer, I've been turning to my spinning more and more. I think this is mainly because it's both soothing and mindless. The treadling of my wheel is good for getting out anxious energy, keeping my hands busy keeps me from biting my nails or otherwise touching my face, and the mindless nature of spinning my default yarn means that I can zone out to some extent. It's been incredibly therapeutic. Ending up with a gorgeous skein of yarn is just a bonus.

This Hello Yarn Targhee came to me in a swap a number of years ago. It was a club shipment that my swap partner either didn't care for or felt she wasn't likely to spin, so she passed it along to me. And I loved the colors so much that I did my usual thing and hid it away in the stash to save it (yes, I know that's completely illogical). Perhaps I had a premonition of what was to come and knew that I'd need to use the good stuff, because I put it on my 20 in 2020 list to spin, and toward the beginning of this stay at home thing, I decided the time was finally right.

I did very little with the fiber before I started to spin. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to chain-ply it to preserve the colors, but I didn't want huge sections of them, so I split the top into four strips lengthwise and spun each from end to end in the same order. So now when this is knit up, it'll stripe, to some degree, but as my splitting was imperfect, it won't stripe in a predictable way, which I rather like -- I fully believe that all handspun should have some sort of imperfection or irregularity to remind you that it's made by hand.

I couldn't be more pleased with this skein. Despite spinning it under a state of near-constant anxiety, it came off the wheel well balanced (and that's unusual for me, because I tend to like a lot of plying twist and overdo it on occasion). It poofed up nicely in the finishing and has a nice spring and squoosh to it. I have approximately 389 yards, plenty for socks or a hat or a cowl. I haven't decided what I want to do with it just yet, and I don't need to. I'm perfectly happy just squishing it in the skein for the time being.

I wasted no time at all getting the next spinning project on the wheel in the form of a more recent stash enhancement:

This is the fiber that came in the October 2019 club shipment from Southern Cross Fibre. It's on Corriedale and is called New Day. It's mostly a muted, dark mix of blues and purples with a few spots of that bright burnt orange. As you can see, I've split the fiber into thirds, and for this skein I'm going back to my comfort spinning: three-ply fingering weight.

The first bobbin was started with the ball of fiber in the lower left in the photo above, so that brilliant orange is now hidden underneath all this darkness. I'm hoping that the finished yarn, once it's plied, will be dark overall with the occasional pop of orange, sort of like that last sliver of sunlight just before it slips below the horizon at dusk.

I think you may be able to tell from the tone of my writing that I'm feeling a bit calmer today than I was a few days ago. I'm still worried about the situation in the world in general, but I'm feeling a little more secure at home. My wonderful partner spent much of the weekend shopping to make sure we have enough supplies and food. He went to Costco first thing yesterday and brought home Clorox wipes and toilet paper(!) among some needed food and health supplies. He then went and bought my in-laws a huge load of groceries because they've been unable to schedule a delivery (and as they're both considered high risk, they've been avoiding supermarkets when they can). Then he went to get a new laptop for himself so he could give his old one to Rainbow to use for her schoolwork. As if all that wasn't enough, this morning he went out again to buy fresh produce, chicken, fish, and milk so that our refrigerator is now well stocked.

I've also shamelessly copied Mary's idea of taking a bit of time each day to focus on three things I've accomplished and five things that made me happy or brought me joy. I started last night by listing them in my journal, and I plan to try to continue to do it every day for at least as long as we're holed up. You may be hearing from me more on here, as well, as I seem to find blogging sort of a public way of journaling and sometimes just getting my thoughts out helps me to feel I can breathe again.

I hope your weekend was restorative in some way and that you were able to find at least a few things to bring you joy!

Spinning the Shine

I've spent a good part of the weekend spinning up the Polwarth/silk I received in the fiber swap and it's been absolutely dreamy. I have no idea what the fiber percentages are, but based on this shine, I'd say the amount of silk is fairly high.

I estimate I'll need another session or two finish up these singles before I can ply. I'm very excited for the plying step on this yarn and can't wait to see how the two colorways look together.

Meanwhile, my spinning today was done in slightly different surroundings. My brother-in-law came over this morning to get the last of the baby furniture, and that included the rocking chair/glider that I used to sit in to spin and the accompanying ottoman, which I always had next to me to hold my lazy kates. We've ordered a new upholstered chair to take its place, but it hasn't arrived yet (apparently it's made custom), so in the meantime I'm making do with a folding chair.

I'm probably sitting with better posture that I was in the old chair, but it's not nearly as comfortable. I'll manage for the time being; to be honest, the most difficult thing is not having a space next to me for all the gear (the kates are on the floor for now, but that won't do for actually plying). I going to get a small cart like this one to hold all the supplies, and I can even get a lid for the top drawer so I can put my miniSpinner on it and get rid of the awful folding tray table!

A Very Fine Thread

The weekend now wrapping up is just the weekend I needed. Friday, when I took off from work to spend it with Rainbow, couldn't have been a more perfect day. The sun was out, the humidity was low, and the temperature wasn't too warm. We left her school before 10 a.m., had lunch with my sister-in-law, got our summer haircuts, and did a little shopping. We both had some down time before we joined my father for dinner (both the Mister and my mother were out of town). Then we had a leisurely evening at home and a good night's sleep. I woke up Saturday morning went out for a run while the Mister slept in (he got home very late Friday night), then got to have a leisurely breakfast. I did the usual chores around the house but still had time to do some spinning and knitting. Today we likewise woke up on our own schedule and then did the necessary errands. We then walked to our favorite local Middle Eastern restaurant for lunch and treated ourselves to some ice cream as part of a long walk around the neighborhood. All of this is to say that I've caught up on my sleep, gotten my exercise, and spent some quality time with my family, so I have zero regrets about the several hours I have spent at my wheel this weekend -- and I have a finished bobbin of singles to show for it.

These singles were spun from the Gwen Erin Targhee/bamboo/silk from my stash. The fiber that the bobbin is sitting on is what the Polwarth/silk I received in the swap, and that will be next on the wheel.

I was thinking that these singles seemed to be taking a really long time to finish, and then I realized that they were superfine. Here's what I mean:

Single on the left; single plied back on itself on the right (the coin is a U.S. penny)

Usually silk content in fiber helps me to spin finer singles, but it seems the bamboo exacerbated that. With any luck, I'll be able to match the Polwarth/silk singles. I've decided to do an alternating chain-plied yarn, meaning that you hold the two singles together and alternate which strand you grab to form the next loop. The result is a pseudo-four ply, and the color effects are interesting because the strand that is used to form the loop will make up 3/4 of that section of the finished yarn. I don't think it'll be too obvious in this yarn, given that both batches of fiber were very similar, but it should make for a really interesting skein. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Millefiori

This weekend has been exactly the kind of weekend I've been needing: long and relaxing. It's not over yet, of course, but Sunday afternoon is when I typically sit down and put together a post, and just because I have another day off tomorrow doesn't mean I can't stick to a schedule.

One of my main objectives this weekend was to finish up my current spinning project. I was able to leave work a little early on Friday afternoon, so I came home and had a bonus hour or so at my wheel. Then I spent more time at it on Friday evening and a bit yesterday morning, and last night I finally finished the singles. I spent several hours, on and off, at my wheel today (in between errands and chores around the house) chain-plying the entire bobbin of singles. The skein is still soaking in its bath, so I don't yet know the final yardage, but I'm quite pleased with it. Here are some photos, pre-bath:

As this was spun from 100% Polwarth, I'm expecting it to plump up a bit in the finishing; that's the famous Polwarth poof. I think it will still be fingering, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it poofs up to sport.

I'm not starting it just yet, but here is my next spinning project, which I alluded to last week. At the time I didn't want to show some of the fiber because I had sent half of it off to my swap partner and it hadn't yet arrived. It seems her package decided to take a slow tour of the Midwest on its way and ended up taking nearly a week to get to her in Oregon. But she did receive it, so now I can show you the entirety of the fiber that will be going into the next spin.

On the left is the fiber my partner sent to me -- Polwarth/silk in a Pacific Northwest-inspired colorway. On the right is what I had picked out to send to her, before my package arrived, mind you -- I guess we just have very similar tastes! My fiber is Targhee/silk/bamboo from Gwen Erin Natural Fibers. Because the colors coordinate so well, I'm going to combine them in one yarn. I'm still contemplating the exact way to do it, but I'm thinking I'll either spin each separately and then do an alternating chain ply (so you get a mock four-ply yarn in the end) or spin them separately, ply them together, and then ply the resulting yarn back on itself for a cable ply. Either way, I should get some really interesting texture, and I think it will be a very fun spin!

A Snowy Day Surprise

After a long day at work, I was anxious to get home but not at all looking forward to shoveling the driveway. Lucky me, I had a package waiting for me that made all the hard labor worth it -- my Vintage Sock Swap package!

My swap spoiler was Courtney, who put together the most wonderful package of goodies. The candle is a yummy, summery melon scent. That candy bar (crystallized ginger in dark chocolate) is going to be mine, all mine, and I'm thinking that the miniature hyacinth pot is going to do a lot to get me out of my "JanuFeb" dumps. What are a little hard to see in that plastic bag are some stunning stitch markers that will be perfect for when I cast on for my aunt's sweater this weekend; I suspect Courtney may have made them herself!

And the socks? Oh, the socks!

They are so thick and squishy -- the perfect socks for these frigid, damp days. The pattern is Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern, one I've knit several times myself and love. The mystery yarn is a darker blue than appears in this photo, with flecks of lighter shades. I adore them!

Thank you so much for everything, Courtney!

Tonight, the finishing of the third BSJ. I'm a mere three rows, two seams, and five buttons away. Expect to see a matching set tomorrow!

Finished: Swap Socks

Did you know how hard it is to take pictures of your own feet when you're wearing socks and standing on a tile floor? The things I'll do for an FO picture ...

Pattern: Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss (70% merino, 30% silk), colorway Woodland Sage, two skeins
Needles: two 12" US 1 (2.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: December 9/December 18
Mods: omitted one pattern repeat on the leg to ensure enough yarn; modified the toe (ended pattern on Row 3 to have 30 sts on each needle)

These are for my swap partner for the Vintage Socks Swap. The recipient's feet are longer than mine, and having knit these socks for myself I knew the leg runs really long, so I knit six repeats rather than seven on the leg. In the end I was fine on yardage, but I think it was probably a good move; the cuff is only 63 stitches around, and if these went any higher there might be some problems with fit around the calf. The leg measures about 8 inches, which is longer than the usual 7" leg I do for my standard sock pattern.

I just love this pattern, as always. It had been a while since I last knit it, but it only took about two rounds before I was able to put the pattern down and knit the stitch pattern from memory. It's a 10-row repeat, but if you do it for a while you'll find that it's really intuitive. I think this yarn was really well suited to the shell pattern as well; the sheen of the silk looks gorgeous in the curves.

Now I just hope my swap partner likes them as much as I do!