Handspun FOs!

I have been remiss. I finished a project last week and didn't post it. In fact, I finished it exactly one week ago. Bad Carrie.

But, as it is made from my own handspun and I have nothing new on bobbin or spindle (and I'm sure you don't want more pictures of the same roving in varying amounts on my bobbins), I feel that it is appropriate for Handspun Monday. Ladies and Gentlemen (are there any?), I give you -- the Ocean Waves Boteh scarf!





Actually, I've been on a roll with the handspun this week. Because on Saturday I started -- and Sunday I finished -- another long-planned, never-executed project. This one is from the roving that I bought at Stitches East in 2006 and spun on my first Golding Spindle (I've since started a collection). The roving caught my eye because the colors reminded me of the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, and I eventually decided I would make a moebius wrap out of it. Sadly, some of the color washed out in the finishing bath, butit still makes me think of that beautiful sunrise. So about a year after finishing the yarn, I finally sat down and made the moebius. If I don't just decide to make it happen, it's not gonna make itself, right?


The color in the picture is off, unfortunately, but that's what I get for having such yellowy lightbulbs in my room. I'll try and get a more true-to-color pic. Since the color is really what's important about this piece. *sigh*

I've spun half of the Earth & Sky roving, and I need to ply what I've spun and get to spinning the other half of the roving, so that I have more handspun yarn to play with!

OMG! Spinxx0rz!

Wait, what? I spin? No way! Cool!

It's been far too long since I've had a post for Handspun Monday. But lookie! It's

Now, I know I mentioned the FABULOUS roving I got from Kid Hollow Farm at Stitches. It's called "Fall Harvest." Looks something like this (and thanks to Pam you can now click on the pictures to get them full size):



Closer look? Okay, here ya go:


Yum. It's like pumpkins and grapes and vines and Autumn all in one pack of fluffy goodness.

Well, it was such fluffy goodness that on Sunday, yes last Sunday, the Sunday of Stitches weekend, less than 24 hours after I bought said roving, I sat down at Merriweather and didn't leave her until I had this:

(Shown here in my lap, with my Halloween pyjama pants on :))

I didn't worry about which direction the twist was going, or how much fiber I was letting through, or how thick or thin it was, or consistency, or any of that stuffy stuff. I just let the roving spin as it wanted to, and let Merriweather start in whichever direction she wanted to spin in. It was a very organic process, and so refreshing. It actually made doing the work I had to do last weekend much easier. And I can't wait until I have time to do the same thing over again. I refuse to spin this stuff when I only have a few minutes. It's a whole bobbin spun, plied, and skeined or nothing. Cos I mean, really, just look at it.



It's a meditation.

Um, okay, apparently the computer has decided I'm not allowed to type in a title for this post. Screwy.

Anyway, even though it's Monday, rejoice! I learned three (yes, THREE) new knitting things this weekend! I ROCK! This is what I learned:

1. Knitting in the round. First on circulars and then on dpns. Way easier on circulars, but I'm getting the hang of the double points. Spiky!

2. Continental knitting. OMG. I had tried this once before and couldn't get the hang of it to save my soul. But for some reason, I tried it again and it just clicked. Woooo!!!

3. SOCKS! I haven't actually, ya know, knit a sock yet. But I know how! Lucy Neatby taught me :) See, Mom got her DVDs about sock knitting, so I watched the first one last night. And now sock knitting makes sense to me and I can totally do it on my own. Well, a basic sock anyway. I know how to knit a sock! *happy dance*

This all makes me really want to knit. I still have to finish the baby blanket though. But soon my yarn will arrive for the camisole I'm going to knit, and I will work on that. I'm thinking of trying to get it done in time to go see The Police. I hope I hope I hope. That's two weeks. Think I can get it done?

Anyway, today is also Handspun Monday. So here we go, this is what I was going to post last week. The roving I spun it from is mohair and wool, from Kid Hollow Farms, and I got it at Stitches last year. When Mom gave me my first Golding spindle for Christmas, I knew what to spin with it :) The roving itself reminded me of the sunrise over the Atlantic, as I watched it from a Redemptorist order's retreat house when I was a senior in high school. I'm planning on crocheting it into a mobius. So here's the yarn: