Saturday, April 3, 2010

Riches



My daughter Alyson has been on a spinning binge, and I am the happy beneficiary. A few weeks ago, just when her last full-time job went away she needed a project to occupy her oh-so-clever hands. She brought up from the basement a big vacuum bag (space bag) full of soft white roving, probably merino. So I said, “Knock yourself out” and she just went to town.

Ten or so days later, she had spun up every ounce into a soft, slightly irregular two-ply with an exquisite cashmere-like hand in creamy white. I had already cast on the diamond-shaped “Shoulder shawl in cherry-leaf pattern” from Jane Sowerby’s Victorian Lace Today.

After finishing the first project, she uncovered another bag containing mostly some fine grey finnsheep in a combed sliver. Two-ply again, but this time Alyson spun a smooth, lustrous worsted at 1000 yards per pound (knitting worsted weight).

The white yard averaged 1100 to 1150 YPP on my MacMorran yarn balance, so both are about a ‘light worsted’ weight. After the shawl, including a lace border, is knit up, there will be a lot of the white yarn left. I still haven’t decided what I’ll do with that.

The grey yarn is quite definitely lustrous, firm and compact. Right now, I’m considering making it up as cabled sweater or perhaps a vest.

Just look at these luscious balls of handspun!

  • Knit on, in confidence and hope, through all crises! (EZ)

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