Hello again friends! These past weeks have been ones of finishing projects and beginning new ones. I also got a few new fiber things to play with.
Linen Top is Finished
It is finished! I am so happy that I finally got this finished! It looks great. I know that there are a few mistakes throughout it but if I don’t mention it no one will know. I wish I started the color change earlier but I like the way it turned out. It still blows my mind that I went from a plant fiber to a finished product. This fact will probably always blow my mind and that is a wonderful feeling. The top ended a little shorter than I was hoping for but I had to end it at that length because I ran out of yarn…
Tunisian Crochet
The Tunisian crochet cardigan is still in the works. I am on the body section of the cardigan which feels like it is taking forever I think I am on row 25 (ish) of 44. So I still have quite a bit further to go there. And then there is the sleeves and trim. Hopefully I have enough handspun for it. I am loving the look of it though the stripes aren’t my usual style but they make me really happy with this project for some reason.
Finished and Started Sewing Projects
I finally got around to putting elastic in the waistband of the shorts that I made for Gwen and I sewed some sequins on the bottom that she absolutely LOVES. I also made a mock up of a dress I want to make for me out of linen. It still needs a bit of work as the waist is really big and well the bodice in general is a bit big. Except maybe for the bust… it needs work still…
New Tools (Read Toys)
My dad is an engineer and woodworker. And at Christmas I asked him to turn me a support spindle. Then a bit later I asked him to 3-D print me some storage bobbins with a drill attachment. So he decided to combine the two asks and 3-D printed me the storage bobbins and a support spindle. And they finally made it to my house! The storage bobbins are awesome and allow me to transfer singles to clear off my regular bobbins so much faster and without needing to use a ball winder and loose some of my twist. The support spindle is really light until there is some yarn built up on it. This is not inherently a bad thing it is however a new skill and tool that I now need to learn in order to get proficient. The only hiccup in what my dad sent was that the attachment for the drill was for a 1/2″ drill but I only had a 3/8″ drill. So my dad sent us a drill. Did I mention how much I love my dad? Because I do. I also got some wool combs for mother’s day but haven’t had a chance to play with them yet.
Merino/Tencel has Been Started
My new wheel spin is with the merino tencel blend that I mentioned last post. It is a lot of fun to spin but also a teensy bit frustrating and also so pretty! It is spinning up really fine. The singles are at about 30WPI (wraps per inch, the number of times per inch that a yarn will wrap evenly around on object). The three ply test that I did measured at about a DK weight yarn. I have two bobbins spun up and am working on the third.
The next few weeks will probably be filled with finishing the Tunisian Cardigan, playing with the mock up, and cleaning. The Jillian Eve discord is doing a very laid back Tour De Fleece the goals are set by you for what works best for you with the end result being you learn more about spinning through regular practice. The Tour De Fleece starts in June and I may participate in that but need to take a look at scheduling in order to set some realistic and achievable goals.
Thank you for joining the adventure!
Lots of Love,
The McMullin Family
