Another grayish clowl

This is what happened to the 2-ply handspun tencel, silk, and merino yarn. Cowls are so easy to do. This one is similar to the previous grayish cowl, but I knit this one in the round.

Basically, it has 10 roundss of 2x2 ribbing at the beginning and end, then stockinette stitch interupted by eyelet about every 6 rows. Not very fancy.

Pattern: my own
Yarn: handspun tencil, silk, and merino, two-plied
Needles: US5

The photo below shows a close-up of the detail, and it is a good thing I took this pic, as it shows a dropped stitch. Grrr! I'll have to fix it - and check closely for any other dropped stitches - before offering this to anyone else. Although I may just keep it for myself.

Although this handspun is nice and soft, I don't really like the combination of fibers. The silk and tencel makes the yarn slicker than plain wool would be, so it's more difficult to maintain tension while knitting. After all my experiences with fiber, I find myself going back to what is simple.

Fighting a cold

Last weekend I felt like I was coming down with a cold, but managed to fight it off. Deja vu this weekend - post nasal drip which makes my throat hurt, plus fatigue. With enough rest and Dimetapp, maybe I can forestall this one as well.

Knitting: The gray cowl is finished and blocked - separate post to follow. I started a Lozenge cowl (free download from Ravelry) using yarn from the natural dye workshop.

The Lempi sweater is blocked, but then I and discovered this hole. Grrr!

A log cabin scarf I wove for my SO is starting to fall apart along the selvages. The yarn is Cascade 220 superwash wool, which I have used before for weaving, so I'm not sure why it's failing. I'm contemplating various repair methods, but it may be a lost cause. And motivation to get back to weaving so I can make another, as he really liked that scarf and received many compliments about it.

Still cold

I've been enjoying my sweaters this past week. WAWAK sent me a replacement fabric shaver (and a big, delicious cookie!) Their customer service is impressive. Since they didn't want the previous fabric shaver back, I gave it to my daughter, as she thinks she can fix the switch.

Knitting: Finished the Lempi sweater, except for the buttons. Almost done with the gray cowl - five more rounds and a bind off to go.

Spinning: Started plying 3-color braid singles BUT toward the end of the red single, it kept breaking. After the fourth break, I decided to chain-ply the rest of the singles.

I really like the color red, but lately I've been drawn to blacks and grays for some reason, particularly striped and patterned sweaters. I have a lot of handspun in grays and some black roving. Knitting or weaving something black and gray would use some of that up. I'll have to ponder that.

Brrr!

It's finally sweater weather (although Mother Nature is going to extremes). The problem is all my handknit sweaters suffer from extensive pilling. The solution: A Restora fabric shaver, from WAWAK. It arrived quickly, and it does a good job on pills, BUT. There is something wrong with the on/off switch: I have to apply pressure on the switch to keep it running. By the time I finished one (very pilly) sweater, my hands were tired and crampy. I sent the company an email; we'll see how they respond.

Knitting: One pocket is basically done on the Lempi sweater; I'm waiting to graft the bottom until I knit the other pocket, in case I want to make changes. I've been working on the latest gray cowl during commercials while watching TV.
Spinning: All the singles of the three-color braid are spun - time for plying!

The pocket instructions for the Lempi sweater were to simply pick up stitches and knit the pocket in the round. That seemed too bulky. Instead, I added a purl stretch on the "front" side of the pocket so that it would fold better. Then I purled two stitches at each side, to again make folding the fabric easier.

In the past, whenever I veered from pattern instructions, I regretted it. But after over 40 years of slavishly following patterns, I guess I have learned a thing or two.

I have a pet peeve about patterns that go into excruciating detail until the very end, where the final instructions are rather lacksidaisical. (The phrase "Bind off loosely" should be banned!) This sweater is a case in point. I knit another sweater, designed by Vogue, that I call the "vague" sweater for the same reason.

Getting together

During the pandemic, the weaving guild met via zoom, then continued to offer zoom as an option for in-person meetings. But in January, when the weather can be so iffy, we meet just on zoom. About ten of us "gathered" for chitchat and show-and-tell. It was fun and relaxed.

There was no fifth Saturday gathering at Teasel Hill in December, but Julie came to Phia's first Saturday spin-in at Little Shop of Spinning, along with more than the usual gang. A dozen of us squeezed in, and we had to sit spinner-knitter-spinner-knitter to have enough room. The youngest was ten-year-old Davis, who was finger knitting. The oldest was ninety-five-year-old Norma, also knitting. Lots of chatter. And I did NOT buy any fiber, did not even look at it lest I be tempted, but I did pick up the most recent issue of Ply Magazine which is about sweaters.

Knitting: I am having trouble with the pockets on the Lempi sweater, so that is a bit stalled (again). I started another cowl, from the two-ply merino-silk-tencel blend I spun; I'm making the pattern up as I go along.

Spinning: I finished spinning the orange section from that three-color braid of superwash merino, am now starting the brown.

One advantage of these fiber get-togethers is my interest in spinning, knitting, and weaving is renewed, just in time for a long winter.