knitted :: for fun (Handspun Capucine)

knitted :: Handspun Capucine, originally uploaded by earthchick.

I learned to spin in May 2009, and this was one of my first yarns:

It had all the standard beginner overspun and underspun places, but I was totally in love with it anyway. Those purples and lime greens just killed me. This is 152 yards of bulky 2-ply Falkland (4 oz.).

It sat on my shelf for all this time, waiting to become something. I had long thought it should be a hat or a hood, and last month, while waiting for my Mulled Cider to finish blocking, I finally whipped one up.

The pattern is Capucine , a sweet, fast, whimsical little knit. I think I needed a fatter yarn and/or fatter needles to really get the right look, but I was still pleased with how it turned out. Well, except for it looks totally silly on me. I mean, the side tassels get pretty much lost in all that hair.

But it’s fun and funky, and I guess I’ll pull it out whenever I need warm ears and handspun happiness.

raveled

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knitted :: handspun Coleus

knitted :: handspun Coleus, originally uploaded by earthchick.

You guys know I love me some Through the Loops. And you know I love knitting with handspun. I seem especially to have a thing for knitting shawls in handspun. So when Kirsten Kapur offered me the opportunity not only to test knit her shawl pattern, Coleus , but to knit it with her handspun . I said yes. And also ZOMGYES.

What an extra-special treat to knit with Kirsten’s handspun yumminess! This is Crown Mountain Corriedale in the most glorious shade of green. I loves it.

The pattern is, of course, totally perfect. It’s everything I’ve come to expect from a Through the Loops pattern: clear, fluid, and yielding a beautiful project. The pattern comes with charts and written directions.

Sadly, I ran out of yarn before I finished! Comparing my finished project to Kirsten’s, I wonder if I somehow managed to knit more of the garter section than I was supposed to. I could’ve sworn my stitch count was right on, but who knows. I was unable to finish the final lace section, and I ended up doing the last bit of border with some Sundara Sock left over from my Embossed Leaves socks. I think the dark trim looks nice, though I do regret that my lace portion isn’t as long and lovely as the original.

(accidentally modeled inside-out here)

Regardless, I love it! It makes me happy! Apparently deliriously so – I took these pictures without coat or mittens in 16 degree weather.

pattern: Coleus
yarn: Kirsten’s handspun Corriedale + a little leftover Sundara Sock
needles: size 3 (I’m a loose knitter)
cast on: November 16
bound off: December 31 – making it the last FO of 2010
mods: ran out of yarn and had to stop Border 2 after row 6, only did 4 garter rows at end, instead of 6
verdict: LOVE.

I can’t recommend this pattern highly enough. I think that semicircular might be my current favorite shape for a shawl. It hits that sweet spot between rectangular – which is a shape I love but can be boring to knit – and triangular – which is fun to knit but can occasionally be challenging to wear (wear it with the triangle on the front and look like a bandit! wear it with the triangle at the back and have an arrow pointing to your, uh, assets!). The semicircular shape is fun to knit and flattering to wear. Plus it’s so versatile. This pattern is a great mix of yummy garter and lovely lace. I’m betting I’ll make this one again sometime.

But model in 16-degree weather? Maybe not.

raveled

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knitted :: Little Sweetgum

knitted :: Little Sweetgum, originally uploaded by earthchick.

This is a downsized version of my Sweetgum cowl, which I originally designed as a large over-the-shoulders cowl. This is some of the Hello Yarn Polwarth in “Cauldron” left over from the sweater I showed you yesterday (which took way less yarn than I anticipated).

yarn: roughly 125 yards (maybe less) of heavy worsted handspun
needles: size 9 dpns
dates: September 27-29, 2010
mods:
gauge: 4 st/1” (instead of 3 sts)
cast on: 78
lace repeat: 6 times (instead of 7)
full lace round: 3 times (instead of 5)

I thought it turned out pretty cute. I like it as a backless hat, too:

I sent it to Heather . I’d been wanting to spin some yarn up for her (because, you know, I’m afraid she might run out – heh), but since I broke my ankle three months ago I have spun up precisely one skein of yarn (so sad – I hope to get back to it soon!). I thought she might enjoy a little handspun giftie instead.

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knitted :: Saturday sweatshirt sweater (handspun v-neck raglan)

39.something – Saturday sweatshirt sweater, for fall, originally uploaded by earthchick.

This is my first ever handspun sweater.

Last July, I spun up 1.5 lbs. of Hello Yarn Polwarth in “Cauldron.” This was a fiber club offering that started out as this:

I spun it up into 1153 yards of heavy worsted 2-ply. It was very floofy!

My sweater ended up using less than a pound of what I’d spun (roughly 900 yards, maybe less). It is light and lofty and warm and cozy, and basically what I was going for – a comfy, sweatshirt-like sweater for kicking around the house on chilly Satrudays.

I based the pattern very loosely on the Easy V-Neck Raglan pattern by Stefanie Japel, a sweater I made about four years ago. Instead of the ribbing around the waist and arms, I just knit it straight, and ended with a rolled hem for the waistband and cuffs. I did keep the rustic unfinished v-neck that I loved so much about the original pattern (I usually wear this with a dark purple tee underneath).

My favorite part is the sleeves. I was able to somewhat match them up (in terms of how the colors played out). And I made them on the long side, so they are super-snuggly. I loved rolled-hem cuffs.

But I have to admit, I’m not wild about how it striped out. That huge wide lime green stripe is in the exact wrong part of my body – the place I least need to emphasize! The way it striped was partly a result of how I spun it – I didn’t have a lot of barberpoling; instead I ended up with long color repeats, which of course result in stripes. I should’ve broken up the stripes a bit in the sweater, but I was having too much fun just knitting it as it came. It has a kind of Noro look to it, which I’m not wild about.

Still, it was a delicious spin and a fast, fun knit. I wear the sweater a lot, even though it’s not my usual style (the stripey-ness and in all those wild colors). So I guess it’s a win!

I had about 300 yards of yarn left over. I already whipped out one little something out of that, and I have more planned. I’m thinking a certain someone needs a sweater of her own out of this, as she clearly thinks this yarn is hers.

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knitted :: random solitary jellyfish

knitted :: jellyfish, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Good grief, will I ever be finished blogging things I made several months ago? I think I have maybe 5 more knits from 2010 to blog before I can do my retrospective and get on with 2011. Thank goodness for Ravelry, or I would have no idea what I’d made and when.

At any rate, here’s a little jellyfish I made in, uh, July.

You may remember that I knitted a trio of these the previous year for a friend. Or you may not remember. But I did:

And I loved them very much.

When the owner of my local yarn shop, Knit A Round , saw them on Ravelry, she asked if I would make one the knitted fish display in the main window of the store. I said sure. That was in August. The display was coming down for the fall but would be going back up in late spring. I meant to get this guy down well ahead of that, but I didn’t crank him out until July – oops! – and I didn’t get him to the store until August.

I’m not much of a toymaker, but I had forgotten how fun and fast this pattern is! If you ever need to make a jellyfish, I’d highly recommend it!

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knitted :: wee things (handspun baby Thorpes)

knitted :: handspun baby Thorpes, originally uploaded by earthchick.

My love of all things Through the Loops is long and well-documented. And if you know me at all, then you know that I am particularly crazy for the Thorpe – the perfect winter hat and an excellent match for handspun. I’ve made them for adults and I’ve made them for my kids, and when I wanted to make a couple of special baby gifts last summer, I decided it was time to make them for babies.

I used this fiber, a yummy BFL especially dyed for me by Carrie of Funky Carolina as part of her Pure Inspiration Club. You send her your thoughts about what is currently inspiring you, and she interprets it in fiber. I was a member of the club the very first round and it was super-fun. This was my first fiber:

6 oz. BFL in “Stacey’s Ocean”
I spun it up this past summer as a DKish 2-ply, but somehow managed not to get a picture of the finished yarn!

At any rate, I thought it looked like great baby colors, so I made these two baby Thorpes (trimmed with some of my first handspun, also Funky Carolina) for a couple of special fellas:

Cathy and Carrie with their sweet schmoos.

I actually got to meet Carrie and Charlie at Rhinebeck in October.

They are every bit as adorable as they seem. Also, I’m pretty sure that Carrie and Charlie were the most photographed folks at Rhinebeck.

I got a little face time with Charlie, too!

Isn’t he sweet?

I made these last August, and with 6 ounces of fiber, I still have plenty of yarn left for another baby Thorpe. I knit the smallest size in a smaller gauge than the pattern calls for, and I stopped knitting when it seemed about baby-sized. Now how’s that for specific, eh? This pattern is so flexible and so customizable, as I’ve noted before.

I think he looks smashing in it!

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knitted :: Rings of Fire (handspun upsized New New Shale Cowl)

knitted :: handspun cowl, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Last year, after taking a class with Amy King (Spunky Eclectic) , at The Spinning Loft on spinning low-twist singles, I made my first thick-and-thin singles.

It was from 4 oz. of FLUFF Merino in “Arenal” – an amazing BLAZING assortment of reds, oranges, and a hint here and there of brown:

Oh, MAN, it was a delicious fiber. And I really enjoyed spinning it up:

It came out to 320 yards of bulky-ish thick-and-thin and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it. I fell in love with this bulked-up version of the the New New Shale Cowl .

I love these rich colors.

I whipped this up over vacation in August and loved wearing it once fall rolled around. I loved it so much that I couldn’t wait to make another one – it was the inspiration for my Sweetgum design. I think this sort of thing is a surprisingly functional piece and a great way to use a small amount of handspun. Maybe there will be even more in my future.

raveled

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knitted :: Handspun Lavalette

knitted :: Handspun Lavalette, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Well, hello and happy new year!

It’s high time I caught up on all my bloggables so that I can do my usual year-in-review before February, if possible.

First up is this shawl, one of my favorite knits of 2010. I had been wanting to knit this pattern of Kirsten’s for awhile (um, have I mentioned that I love all things Through the Loops> Because I so do.

Sometimes, when I received a hand-dyed fiber, I know exactly what I’m going to ultimately make with it. This was one of those times.

This is the April 2010 FLUFF High Society Fiber Club, 4 oz. of 80/20 Superwash Merino/Silk, “Half the World.” I fell in love with it immediately – it is so delicate and so shimmery. I was thrilled with how it spun up:

340 yds of DKish 2-ply

I took the yarn with me on vacation and 3 or 4 days into the trip, had this shawl done.

pattern: Lavalette by Kirsten Kapur
yarn: every inch of my handspun
needles: size 7, I think
dates: August 7-10

I loved every minute of knitting this. The pattern is another beautiful match for handspun – interesting but not so complex that it overwhelms the simple beauty of the yarn. I loved the way the colors played out as I knit it up, and I loved the drape of the fiber.

I made this for our dear friend Susie, who has opened her beach home to us for the last few summers. These colors reminded me of the beach, and of her. Susie is an artist and appreciates the value of handmade, so I felt really good about giving her something handspun.

Otherwise, this would have been a hard one to give away. I pretty much love it!

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in case you didn’t know, I knit

in case you didn’t know, I knit, originally uploaded by earthchick.

I’m wearing a handknit sweater, a handspun handknit scarf, a pair of handspun handknit mitts, and, usually, a handspun handknit hat. But in case you didn’t know I knit, I’ve also added a bag that says, “knit.”

I can’t tell you how much I seriously love this bag. Jen sent it to me as a gift, since it’s basically perfect for getting around on crutches with. Up until I got it, I’d been using a backpack, which works okay. But the problem with a backpack is that you have to stop and take it off to get anything out of it (obviously you don’t have to do that if you are only wearing it with one strap, but I can’t really do that on crutches any more than I can wear a regular purse or tote bag – it bangs into the crutch). So a messenger-style bag is perfect. I can wear it on the front of my body for easy access, but it doesn’t get in the way of the crutches at all. And the size is perfect! As a knitting bag, yes, but also for using as a regular tote, which is how I’ve been using it. And it doesn’t scream “college student” the way my backpack was doing. And this color is so perfect for my wardrobe. Love it.

This is a new offering in Jen’s shop , and in honor of the first anniversary of her shop, she is giving one of these away (and with yarn!). If you haven’t already, take a minute to go over and leave her a blog comment.

Thank you so much, Jen! I LOVE it.

(p.s. I’m pictured here with only one crutch because I’m making progress, y’all!)

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knitted :: for fall (handspun Felicity)

knitted :: handspun Felicity, originally uploaded by earthchick.

Come winter, there is only one hat I’m going to want to wear: my Thorpe . Because when a delicate Southern flower like myself is trying to survive a Michigan winter, she needs two things: ear coverings and cuteness. The Thorpe delivers both in big doses.

But for fall, I thought it would be fun to switch things up a bit. I used to never wear hats in fall – I would hold out until it just got too cold to go hatless anymore. But now I realize I was missing an entire season of fashionable accessories, so I sought to remedy that.

I made this hat back in June, during a car trip. Simple, mindless knitting with a super-fun yarn – one of my earliest handspuns.

Funky Carolina BFL in “Comforting”
I spun up 208 yards of 2-ply worsted-ish yarn, and I used maybe 75% of that for the hat.

The yarn is a very rustic, very beginner yarn full of overspun places. Funky Carolina’s sense of color is always so amazing, and this blend was no exception. I loved spinning it and I love wearing it.

The pattern is Felicity, a great choice for showing off handspun.

raveled
I like it quite a bit!

And I’ve decided that maybe the slouchy style doesn’t look terrible on me (though I may need a little more slouch to accommodate my combination of huge head and big hair). I have my eye on a pattern that was just released yesterday, by the inimitable Kirsten Kapur of Through the Loops designs. Have you seen her Sofie’s Slouch and Mitts? YUM. Love them both and plan on making them sometime this season. Kirsten indicates that Stonehedge Fiber Mill Shepherd’s Wool would be a good choice for this pattern, and it just so happens that my stash is loaded with it. It’s a Michigan yarn! My local yarn shop (Knit A Round) carries it, and it’s just lovely. Great drape. I would highly recommend it!

Thanks, friends, for your kind comments about my broken ankle. I really appreciate it. As of this evening, I’ve discovered I can get around on just one crutch, which feels like a wonderful kind of progress – I can get my own coffee now! I can get snacks or meals for my kids! Or, you know, I can just sit on the couch a little more and knit.

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