First Spinning Wheel Project

It was inevitable that sooner or later I would start spinning yarn. The idea has been brewing for years, and in 2009 I briefly tried spinning some yarn on a spindle. Then I accidentally stumbled upon a new Finnish book about spinning while browsing the craft section at a book store, Kehrääjän käsikirja by Tuulia Salmela. That was the final push I needed. I dug up my spindles and bought some fiber.

I meant to keep practicing on the spindle a bit longer, but then the spinning wheel I ordered arrived faster than expected, and of course I couldn't not try using it. I did not have a chance to try out different wheels to see which one I'd like the best, but I knew it should be a model that's easily moved and stored, because I don't have the space for a dedicated spinning area in my apartment. The Ashford Joy 2 was available via a Finnish online shop, so I quickly decided on that. I picked it up from the post office on Friday and set it up right away.

While my first spinning project didn't turn out exactly as I visioned, the problem was mostly with my inexperience and not with the wheel. I found the wheel easy to set up and work with. I just wasn't sure which spinning ratio to go with, since I had no experience on how all the factors would affect the outcome. I was aiming for a worsted spun yarn, but my technique wasn't exactly polished at that point. My inexperience also shows in how uneven the yarn turned out, but I suppose that's to be expected from a first spinning project. My second project that I'm now in the middle of is turning out a lot more even, and more the thickness I intended.

So, there is now going to be a fiber stash in addition to the yarn stash, which is already getting to the point I can't store it in a way it's not obvious I have a problem. My current fiber stash is a moderate one week's supply, but I have a feeling it's going to grow exponentially from here.

The spinning project on Ravelry

Neat Ripple

For years the only use I had for a crochet hook was picking up dropped stitches in my knitting. However, making a blanket with a crochet hook sounds more appealing than having that amount of fabric on my knitting needles, or alternatively knitting smaller pieces and then never getting around to seaming them together.

I did not plan the colors beforehand. Instead, I picked the next color based on how well it went with the previous one. Additionally, I never repeated the same color sequences, and tried to keep stripes of the same color at some somewhat even intervals. The yarns are mostly fingering weight, as is about 80-90% of my stash, with some sport weight thrown in. What kept the project interesting was seeing how the colors turned out. There are sequences I like better than others, but I do like the whole nevertheless.

Project page on Ravelry

Crenate

My first pair for the 26 Pair Plunge is Crenate, a very enjoyable pattern from Rachel Coopey. I love how the pattern builds up, and I really adore what it does around the back of the heel. The extended ribbing in the back keeps the sock in place, but the lace lower in the leg adds some party to the back! They also fit great.

I felt it was time for some turquoise socks, considering it's one of my favorite colors. It also happens to be the most difficult color to reproduce correctly in photos. I used Wollmeise Twin in the Türkis colorway. For a long time I had an aversion to Twin, while my Pure stash is, umm, extensive. However, I'm warming up to it, which naturally means I'll have to have all my favorite Wollmeise colorways in this base, as well.

Ravelry project page