Break Time is Over

So I finally finished spinning the sock yarn for the swap. I was supposed to send it out 2 Fridays ago. I’m late. I have spun 2 other 4 ounce skeins for this swap. I wasn’t happy with them.

I have the jumbo flyer for my Ashford Traveller Wheel. It’s easy to switch back and forth. You just remove the center of the plastic on the maiden and it’s big enough for the jumbo orifice.

I love the flyer for plying. I have not used it for
bulky yarn so can’t comment on that but I have a tendancy to overfill my bobbins when spinning so this comes in very handy for plying.

This is my yarn plyed on the jumbo bobbin and what I had left on one bobbin after plying.

This is the finished skein. It weights 5.7 ounces. Plenty for a pair of socks. Or something else that maybe doesn’t need to be so durable.
The problem is this. I have done this 3 times now because of the same problem. I can’t seem to get enough twist in the yarn to make it strong enough for socks. I think I’m getting enough twist and then I even try to get extra twist in the plying. Then I wash it and it blooms. It’s beautiful but I’m not sure about the sock thing.

By the way the wool I’m using is Shetland.

I can’t do this anymore. My pal is getting this skein and an apology.
I did get my yarn from my partner but I don’t have any pictures so that’ll have to be tomorrow.

Another swap I was in was the Knit Mitt Kit swap. My pal was Sarah. She was overly generous. The bag alone would have been enough. I guess since it was a mitten kit swap she was obligated to at least send the pattern and yarn.

The BAG! Made from an old sweater. I’ll be using this bag A LOT!

I don’t have pictures of everything she included but look at this card holder!

Hand Made Stitch Markers – made by her!

Also include were some knitting girl mints, a sample of Soak, pony pearl needles and a lovely letter.

Thank you Sarah!

Now back to talking about myself some more.
We started a new project in my weaving class.
The point of the class was to make a color gamp so that we could see how the overlap of different colors play on each other.
Since I am taking the class for free (it is my store for crying out loud) I didn’t argue when the ladies all wanted to use mercerized cotton. I wanted wool.
I was pretty quiet as they chose, as a group, the colors we would be using.
Then it was time for us to plan our projects.

I got out my Learning to weave book and paged through it. Looking for project ideas. How many threads of each color would I use? How to decide. I steer away from cotton in my knitting because it hurts my wrists. There is no stretch. How would this work on the loom?

I decided to make a shawl for spring and summer. Toward the back of the book I came across a technique known as overshot. That was the thing!
As you can see, I am weaving with only the flax color. The point of the group project is going to be mute for me but I will have a fabulous handwoven shawl that my mother will be begging me for.
There’s always Christmas, right?