A Sock Restart

This is the beginning of a beautiful sock. It’s a combination of a good yarn, good cables, and good color. But...it’s too small. All those cable twists (sometimes six a round) really sucked up all the give and stretch usually present in knit fabric.

So, this sock is yarn again and has the potential to be a beautiful sock that actually fits.

Was it frustrating to rip out 20+ rows of a plaited cable knit with fingering weight yarn? Most definitely, but totally worth it to have a comfortable sock that gets worn instead of stuffed in the back of a drawer. Now that I’m starting over, I have a better idea of how I can add ribbing and extra stitches for a better fit. And having a little extra time to figure out how to work around a stiff cable that sucks up stitches doesn’t hurt either. Here’s hoping 80 stitches will be enough this time around.

Halfway Finished With 100 Days Of Sock Knitting

Back in 2019, I wanted to spend 2020 knitting socks. Socks for me. Socks for the Bearded One. Socks for the kiddo. Socks for friends. Did I knit socks in Janaury? Nope. Did I knit socks in February? Kind of. I started a pair of kid socks, and then they sat untouched for months after my own kiddo pulled out a needle’s worth of stitches. Ugh. Then the 100 Day Project kicked off and I made yarn for 100 Days which didn’t leave much room for sock knitting, but did get me some lovely new handspun. When that project ended, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I’d given up on a year of socks or even six months of socks. 100 days of sock knitting, though? That I could do. I quietly kicked off the project on July 28th, 2020 and got back to work on the lingering kid socks. Those only took a week to finish at a few rounds every day. What was next on the list? These blue-striped beauties for the Bearded One, which thanks to daily knitting, were knit in just under a month.

While they weren’t unceremoniously removed from their needles by a curious kiddo, knitting these socks wasn’t without aggravation. I’m a stickler for making self-striping yarn match up on each sock. The first step is matching up the yarns and making sure both skeins are in the same point in the color sequence. It’s a good thing I bought this yarn at a discount and got two balls because both of them came with knots. The stripe sequence was completely reversed in the middle of one ball! Thankfully, the largest chunks from both balls were enough to knit matched socks. And I’ve got enough leftovers to make a smaller matching pair for the kiddo. So, pulling the yarn balls apart, cutting, detangling, and spreading them all over the room for a few days was totally worth it.

The other big aggravation was finding two dropped gusset stitches that somehow escaped being knitted together with the edge of the heel flap. That part was all me, and easy enough to sew up at the end.

The pattern is my own much tweaked and refined default toe-up sock pattern. Tweaking continued with this pair because I had to figure out how to knit the socks so I could flip them inside out after binding off to get a princess sole without purling. Totally worked though it did feel odd to knit a heel flap with the right side inside the sock. The pair got the Bearded One’s seal of approval so they must have turned out great. :D

I’m aiming to get the pattern written up properly in a wide range of sizes as I knit them. Figured I’d start with the biggest size and work my way down. It’s going to be awhile before this particular pattern is anywhere close to finished, but I will keep you updated.

With these socks complete, I’ve knit 2 pairs during my 100 Days of Sock Knitting project. Pair three is on the needles and there are cables afoot with 50 days of dedicated sock knitting time left. More on those socks later though.

The Specs:

Pattern: My own default toe-up sock pattern

Yarn: 437 yds (390.3 m) of Wisdom Yarns Stanza - 703 Burns

Needles: US 1.5 - 2.5 mm circular needles

Dates: August 6 - September 4, 2020

Ravelry Page and more notes here

Finishing #the100DayProject 2020

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.
Weeks 8 and 9 I finished my first skein of handspun and started the second.
Weeks 10 and 11 I finished the second skein and jumped into spinning the third.
Weeks 12 and 13 I worked my way though spinning the singles for yarn number 3.

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Week 14

July 6 - 7 (Days 91-92): We’re in the last few days of this epic project now. I’m not feeling particularly retrospective at the moment or like I need to tack on a big goal to finish. Keeping it simple and just spinning everyday has served me well so far so I’m going to keep going to the end.

July 8 (Day 93): Had a couple of sections where the single just kept breaking. Turned out that the fix was pre-drafting more of the fiber. Spinning is a smooth process again. And in other good news, I’ve started on the last ounce of the fiber!

July 9 (Day 94): The bulk of today’s spinning happened outside while my spinning buddy ran off some energy. There were a few breaks to procure a snack and clean up spilled bubble solution, but lots of new yarn went on the spindle. I even managed to get past the section of fiber where the roving had split into two parts. Holding those together to spin and preserve the color sequence was a pain.

July 10 (Day 95): Got a good chunk of spinning in this afternoon. Maybe I’ll finish the single this weekend.

July 11 (Day 96): Yes! I finished spinning the second single for yarn number 3! I’m giving the twist some time to rest so I can wrap the plying ball tomorrow.

July 12 (Day 97): I wrapped up the plying ball this morning and it looks good. My very rough plan was to make a 2-ply yarn and generally have the colors match up between the two plies. I was reasonably successful. There’s going to be a lot of marling, but there are big chunks where the colors line up just right. At least that’s what the grapefruit-sized plying ball showed me.

Got a start on the plying in the afternoon. The yarn is a little fuzzier than I’m used to spinning, but still really fun. I can’t help but think that this would make a good Christmas stocking or wall art.

Week 15

July 13 (Day 98): I wasn’t able to get as much plying done yesterday because holding the fiber and twisting single up above my head has definitely irritated by arm. So, today I’m switching things up and working with my other arm. It’s awkward, but I’m still plying.

The plying ball is shrinking much faster than I expected. This morning the ball was the size of a grapefruit. By lunch, the ball was smaller than a peach. I might not even have to push myself to finish plying tonight.

July 14 (Day 99): Yes! I finished plying the yarn this morning! It feels so awesome to finish this last yarn with one day left to spare. Of course, this success didn’t come without a little irritation. As I got to the last few yards on the plying ball, the singles just kept snapping under the weight of the full spindle. I joined the plies back together once, but didn’t do it when the plies snapped again. Instead, I pulled out another spindle and plied the remaining singles to make a mini-skein. Works for me.

Broke out the swift and wound the yarn into skeins. Ended up with about 300 yds between the two. I was aiming for a sport weight yarn and there are definitely sport weight sections. It’s looking a little closer to a worsted weight though which is totally good too. Won’t know for sure until after the yarn is washed and dried.

Now that I got a good look at on the swift, the colors blend together beautifully. Even when there’s a barber pole effect, the colors share a similar value so they don’t jar the eye.

July 15 (Day 100): It seems fitting to end the project with finishing the yarn. I followed my standard method washing for each skein. First step is filling my too small bathroom sink with cool water and a squirt of Eucalan (<- affiliate link) then putting the skein in the bath for 20-ish minutes. Then I squeezed out the water and rolled them up in a towel so the yarn was damp instead of soaked. Before hanging them up to dry, I snapped the skeins around my arms to help even out the twist. That’s it. Good thing too because my shoulders definitely need a break from holding stuff above my head for long stretches of time.

Now we’re in the after. It took a few more days than I expected, but the yarn is finally dry. Every skein has absolutely exceeded my expectations. They’re plump and soft and wonderful. I’m not sure how much the yardage shrunk since setting the twist, but the weight definitely changed. The third yarn had the most dramatic transformation of the bunch. It seemed limp and fuzzy when it came off the spindle. A bath helped it perk up to a balanced and plump worsted weight yarn that I really want to knit. Not sure into what but I’ll come up with something.

Which bring up the question of what am I going to do with the rest of this lovely new handspun. No clue. The light blue superwash will probably become something for my spinning buddy. A new hat and mitts for winter will probably be a thing come September. As for the rest, I’m not sure. Gifts? Maybe. Something fun and off the wall? Also a possibility. Until I figure it out, I’m perfectly happy keeping them on a shelf where I can see them and give them a little pat from time to time.

Now the numbers and the TL:DR. 100 days of daily spinning turned 13 oz of fiber into 3 skeins totaling an estimated 1,053 yards (963 m). I didn’t spin the purple yarn during this project but I did take this opportunity to to wind it up. So it gets to be a buddy skein. I also put together this quick video that covers 99 days of spinning (would have been 100 days, but I accidentally deleted one). Here’s the last 3+ months in action:

What’s next? I’m trying to work that out. My shoulders need a break from spindle spinning. I do miss having something easy and accessible to reach for during the day that isn’t my phone so that might be the deciding factor. Maybe 100 days of sock knitting will be the next thing. Or I could tackle a few other short projects that last a month. Still thinking but I have no shortage of fiber and projects to choose from.

Thank you for following #the100DayProject along with me! I started with the goals of getting back to my spinning, making yarn, and showing the kiddo how yarn is made. The past 100 Days accomplished all those things and I’m happy I followed through. Pretty sure I’ll do another 100 Day project again next year. Or sooner.

*This post contains an affiliate link which means, if you decide to buy through that link, I’ll get a small commission. Thanks!

#the100DayProject Weeks 12 and 13

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.
Weeks 8 and 9 I finished my first skein of handspun and started the second.
Weeks 10 and 11 I finished the second skein and jumped into spinning the third.

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Week 12

June 22 (Day 77): Added another yard or two to the spindle. Wasn’t able to get much in the way of spinning time today but a few minutes is better than nothing at all.

June 23 (Day 78): Today I finally reached the point in the current spin where it seems like I’m actually making progress. Until now, I’ve been spinning yarn but the piece of fiber never seemed to be getting any shorter. I know that’s not true but the illusion of it definitely contributed to feeling like the past few days of spinning have been a slog. Glad I stuck with it.

June 24 (Day 79): It’s nice to see the fiber turning into yarn and the spindle filling up one wrap at a time. I have no idea if I’ll finish plying by the end of this project or even finish the singles in the next 20 days. It’s good to be spinning though and I’m not going to add any extra rules to this project that’ll make it harder to keep the yardage coming. Just going to keep spinning.

June 25 (Day 80): It’s day 80 of #the100DayProject and my 80th day of spinning yarn is a row! How cool is that? I've got the skeins I've spun these past 80 days as well as the two I got off the bobbins because of this project in a pile on the shelf. It is so great to look over and see them stacking up. Looking forward to adding the current yarn-in-progress to that stack.

June 26 (Day 81): One of my goals for this project was for the kiddo to see me spinning. As a result she has definitely become more interested in my fiber and spindle. That’s a great thing but I have to keep the pair on a top shelf now. Otherwise she’ll push a chair over to a shelf, climb up, grab the spindle, and mix it in with all her other toys. Thankfully, the current roving is hardy stuff or it would not have survived the excursions.

June 27 (Day 82): Turns out that today is the start of Tour de Fleece. Glad it’s still happening even if the Tour de France isn’t. I’m not making any specific goals for Tour de Fleece or planning on joining in this year. I’m just going to keep spinning until I finish this latest skein of yarn.

June 28 (Day 83): Got a decent amount of spinning complete today. It’s nice to be able to see the colors change over the course of a day’s spinning vs. 4 days of spinning.

Week 13

June 29 (Day 84): Ran errands today so not much time or spare energy for making yarn. Did enough to cross it off the to-do list though.

June 30 (Day 85): The single has been breaking a lot lately. I’m not sure if I’m not keeping the spindle spinning long enough or if the fiber I’m working with needs more prep. So I’m doing a little bit of both: paying more attention to the spindle and pre-drafting the fiber just a touch.

July 1 (Day 86): Taking it easy today with the spinning since my rotator cuff on the spindle holding arm is feeling irritated. Don’t want to push my luck and hurt myself so close to the end of this project.

July 2 (Day 87): Yes! It took me a day’s spinning but I finished the first single for yarn number 3. It’s a little fuzzy and lumpy but the color changes are nice. Had to put the spindle in the freezer again to get it to pop apart.

Hmmm. The last single took me 15 days to spin and there are 13 days left. I could probably finish the last single in that time but probably not plying. I’m okay with that.

July 3 (Day 88): Started the second single! I didn’t get much spinning done today but it was good to start.

July 4 (Day 89): Trying something different with this half of the fiber. Because it got so squished in storage, pre-drafting is really helping to make a more consistent yarn. Spinning is also going faster too because of it. Just have to be careful not to pull things too far apart.

July 5 (Day 90): More spinning today. The turtle isn’t growing quickly, but it is growing.

#the100DayProject Weeks 10 and 11

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.
Weeks 8 and 9 I finished my first skein of handspun and started the second.

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Week 10

June 9 (Day 64): I left the finished single on the table after taking photos and my spinning buddy did a little inspection. The good news is that only some of the wraps pulled up from the turtle and the beginning of the single didn’t snap. Whew.

The rest of the day’s spinning went just fine.

June 10 (Day 65): Joined the last bit of fiber to the single! It’s looking so good and I can not wait to get to the next step of making this yarn.

I’m trying to spend less time on my phone because playing the random match-three game should be a fun break instead of what I do when I’m too tired for anything else. Endless scrolling isn’t helping me either. So I’m trying to keep my spindle and books close at hand. There’s been a noticeable uptick in my spinning the last few days because of it too.

June 11 (Day 66): There was a good bit of spinning time today. So much in fact that I was able to reach the end of my last bit of fiber! Well, close to it. There was only an inch or two of roving left, but the single just kept breaking. I called it done and good after the single broke for the fourth time. So, yeah, tomorrow I’m winding a plying ball.

June 12 (Day 67): Didn’t have any trouble taking the spindle apart today. Once I knew I’d have a chunk of time to wind stuff up, I got to work wrapping. The singles only broke apart once but one did tangle badly enough that I had to break it to remove the knot. Still, not bad at all. The plying ball ended up about the size of a large onion and took about 25 minutes to wrap. One of the singles was longer, of course, so I found the end and finished wrapping with it as the other ply.

June 13 (Day 68): I started plying!

June 14 (Day 69): More plying. There are a few more lumps and bumps than I’m used to working with in my handspun thanks to my unfamiliarity with superwash wool, but I am loving what I’m seeing so far.

June 15 (Day 70): Still plying but now the plying ball is about the size of a peach instead of a giant onion. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and say I’ll be done plying tomorrow though it isn’t unlikely.

Today is the 70th day of #the100DayProject which means there’s just a month left of daily spinning. I’m not sure if I’ll keep the spinning going afterwards or transition to a different daily project. There’s an appeal to both of those ideas. In the meantime I think I can manage most of another skein of handspun.

Week 11

June 16 (Day 71): I finished plying the yarn today! Really pleased with how it turned out too. The thickness varies between sport and worsted and the colors still remind me a fun watercolor.

I tried a different tack when wrapping the spindle this time. Instead of covering all the shaft, my goal was to fill up the top section and leave myself some room to twist the spindle at the bottom. Worked pretty well since I was working with 4 oz of yarn instead of 5 oz.

June 17 (Day 71): Set up the swift today and got to work winding yarn. This time I put the spindle between the handles of a basket which worked really well. The spindle was able to turn freely and I only had to pop it back into a place a few times. In the end I ended up with about 259 yds of sport to worsted weight yarn. It’s so pretty.

Since I’m not one to let some perfectly good spinning time go to waste, I prepped my next project. The bump of Greenwood Fiber weathered BFL was right next to me, so that’s what I picked. The fiber had a pretty clear repeat that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with. Eventually I split in half for a 2-ply yarn and split it again along it’s length. Then I wound up each piece into a nest with the colors running in the same direction. There’s no way the colors will match up perfectly but I’ll still get a cool marled effect.

June 18 (Day 72): After working with the fibers for a bit I decided to aim for a sport weight yarn. Aiming for a weight on the finer side of things means I might not finish it before the end of the #the100DayProject but that is totally okay.

June 19 (Day 73): I keep trying different methods of wrapping the spindle. This time I tried 2 under, 1 over - basically the reverse of 2 over, 1 under. Not a fan. Went back to my usual wrap. The search continues.

June 20 - 21 (Day 74 - 75): A little bit of spinning on both days. I’m finding it harder to drum up the same enthusiasm I had for this project as I did in the beginning. The slog is definitely creeping up on me.

#the100DayProject Weeks 8 and 9

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me:
Here’s how I prepped for the project and spent the first week.
During weeks 2 and 3 I finished the first single and started spinning the second.
Weeks 4 and 5 I embraced the slog of being in the middle of something.
Weeks 6 and 7 I finished spinning the singles and started plying.

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Week 8

May 26 (Day 50): Today was the day, the yarn came off the spindle! Looks good too.

I set up my swift and put the spindle in a big bowl to roll around in while I skeined the yarn. Didn’t work as well as I wanted it too though. One, the bowl wasn’t heavy so it fell over a lot and spindle made a break for freedom under the table. Two, my spinning buddy requisitioned the bowl to fill up with rubber salad. Oh well. I ended up pulling off lengths of yarn and winding it onto the swift one section at a time. Finicky? Yes, but doable. I’ll rig up a more reliable solution for next time.

Now for the details. I skeined the yarn at a circumference of 72” and got 247 wraps. So, I have a very rough estimate of 494 yards, that’s about 452 m. It ranges in diameter from a fingering weight to sport to worsted. I’m sure that measurements will change after washing, but it’ll be enough to make my spinning buddy something cute to wear this winter.

May 27 (Day 51): While I had my swift set up, I skeined up yarn I had sitting on the bobbin from 2018! The yarn snapped in the middle so I ended up with 2 skeins totaling about 224 yards of worsted/aran weight yarn. We’ll see how it changes after soaking the twist. My spinning buddy really loved this yarn. I’m probably going to set it aside to make something fun for her. A new hat and mitts?

At the beginning on this project, I picked out 2 bumps of hand dyed fiber. The one I saved for later was dark and muted. Pretty, but not what I’m in the mood to spin now. So, I went digging through the stash and found a fun speckle dyed bump of from Hummingbird Moon. Spinning her fiber always seems like magic which is just what I want right now. There’s no discernible repeat, so I split the length of fiber in half for a 2-ply yarn. Then I split each piece into thirds along it’s length because that’s the fiber wanted to do. I’m still very much at the beginning of this new spin, but the fiber is a pleasure to work with.

May 28 (Day 52): The new fiber I’m working with is definitely taking some adjustment. The color is wonderful, the feel silky, and the wool superwash. I haven’t spun much superwash wool and it’s taking some adjustment. The fibers just don’t hold onto each other like a non-superwash wool does which means my spindle is dropping way more. I need way, way more twist.

Hmm. I was attempting to spin this fiber into a fingering or sport weight yarn, but a worsted weight might be a more achievable goal with this fiber and spindle combo. Maybe I can try spinning a fingering weight superwash on my wheel later.

May 29 (Day 53): It was long day and I didn’t get to my spindle until after my spinning buddy had gone to bed. I spent several aggravating minutes with a single that kept falling apart every time I tried to wind more yarn onto the spindle. I’d fix the break, spin more yarn, try to wind it up, and it would break all over again. After the fifth time everything fell apart, I called it quits for the night.

May 30 (Day 54): Had better luck spinning this morning than I did last night. I’m sure some of it had to do with getting a few hours of sleep, but here’s what else I switched up. One, I’m very definitely making sure that I’m twisting the spindle counter-clockwise. A week’s worth of plying clockwise was apparently enough to reset my fingers and now I need to do it again. Two, I’m aiming to make a thicker yarn than my default. The goal is a worsted weight 2-ply and I’m seeing some success already. Three, I’m spinning shorter lengths before winding the single onto the spindle. By keeping things short I can catch the spindle before it starts slowing down or hitting the ground.

May 31 (Day 55): I seem to finally be finding my groove with this fiber. The yarn turtle is growing and the spindle is dropping much less.

June 1 (Day 56): Finished spinning the first section of fiber today which means I am a third of the way finished with this first single. Feels like this spin might be moving a little faster than the first.

Week 9

June 2 (Day 57): Managed to spin a decent bit this morning and a little in the afternoon. My spinning buddy still thinks it’s really fun to poke the spindle and make it stop moving. Silly kiddo.

June 3 (Day 58): Got in a lot of spinning time this morning which was great. I finished spinning the second section of fiber and joined the third and last piece needed for this ply!

June 4 (Day 59): I wasn’t planning on finishing the first single today, but I did! This yarn is definitely on the lumpy and bumpy side of things and that’s okay. I don’t have much experience spinning superwash fiber so I’m just happy to have figured out enough to make something that holds together.

The color of this yarn is wonderful. There’s some barber-polling in spots, but the speckles and flecks of color have generally combined into a flowing spectrum. The wound up turtle on the spindle reminds me so much of a watercolor.

It is taking all my self control not to pop the spindle apart right now and get started on the next single. Having to put the spindle in the freezer again to take it apart definitely slowed me down a little.

June 5 (Day 60): Started the second ply today! The first order of business was tying a new leader with a long tail. The long tail is important because it’s easier to keep out of the way while wrapping the spindle and easier to grab when searching for the hidden end of the single.

June 6 (Day 61): I’m more used to spinning superwash wool now than I was a week ago, so my fingers are trying to spin a fine yarn which is not the plan for this handspun. Making myself spin this single for a worsted weight 2-ply.

June 7 (Day 62): Only got a little bit of spinning done this morning before getting out of the house. All my afternoon plans went out the window when I hurt my back bending over to pick up a toy. I’m too young for this.

June 8 (Day 63): Spinning continues today so long as I’m standing or sitting up straight. Slouching is a no go. With that in mind, I’ve made decent progress. The first piece of fiber for the second ply is spun and the second joined. It’s looking good.

#the100DayProject Weeks 6 and 7

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep and the first week of spinning. Weeks 2 - 3 are here, and weeks 4 - 5 are here.

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Week 6

May 12 (Day 36): Dropped the spindle a lot today, but joining the single back to the fiber wasn’t hard at all. I gave my spinning buddy the leftover bits and pieces which she had fun pulling and smooshing and balling up in her hands.

May 13 (Day 37): So often these past few days, when I stop spinning is decided not by having to do something else, but by how sweaty my hands are. Trying to spin a definitely damp lump of fiber is not fun, not easy, and not doable. So I get a few minutes here, a few minutes there, and call it good.

May 14 and 15 (Days 38 and 39): Spinning in bits and pieces these past few days. Those minutes added up too! I’m much closer to the end of this piece of fiber than I was at the beginning of the week.

May 16 (Day 40): Got a lot of spinning time in today while my spinning buddy watched Frozen and the Muppets.

May 17 (Day 41): I’ve been able to practice drafting worsted when it’s cooler and my hands aren’t so sweaty. The difference between the worsted style drafting I can do with dry hands and the woolen style required when my hands are sweaty is massive. The yarn is way less fuzzy and doesn’t need the same amount of twist. Wish I could spin like this more often, but that requires more environmental management than I care to do throughout the day.

May 18 (Day 42): I finished spinning the second single! Feels so good to be finished with this part of the project, and I am so looking forward to starting the plying process tomorrow.

Week 7

May 19 (Day 43): I was so excited to take the single off the spindle that I started right after breakfast. The only problem was that I couldn’t remove the center shaft. Putting the whole thing in the freezer for 20 minutes helped loosen up the joint. Seems like all those times it fell during the spinning jammed the pieces together a little too tightly.

I’ve been thinking about how I wanted to ply these singles for a few weeks. I considered spinning them directly from the turtle, but didn’t want to have to fix breaks on a seconds notice or untangle knots. Also on the list was winding them both to bobbin from my wheel, putting said bobbin on a kate, then plying on a spindle. I didn’t want to have to deal with moving even that much of a setup. Eventually I decided to fall back to old favorite, the plying ball.

I wound both singles together onto a ball which was accompanied by most of the major plot points in Frozen. The final ball ended up about the size of a softball or a grapefruit. The singles only broke in two spots at the my joins which I’m calling a win. I was also reminded of one of the reasons I love working with a plying ball. You get a lovely sneak peak of how the colors are going to mashup in the finished yarn. There are some really beautiful sections waiting in there.

The second single was much longer than the first so I cheated and held the end of the second single together with the end of the first and kept wrapping. No leftovers here. I don’t always fake a ply like this, but it’s a good trick to have.

May 20 (Day 44): Plying continues! It is so fun seeing the yarn finally come together after 43 days of work. There has been one hiccup though. It is taking conscious effort to make the spindle spin clockwise for plying. Feels so weird making my hands move in a slightly different direction that I have to double check it’s twisting correctly. Thankfully, it’s very evident in the yarn when I’m twisting the plies in the wrong direction.

May 21 (Day 45): The ball is about the size of a medium onion. Of course I had to take a photo for scale. My spinning buddy has been way more interested in the plying ball than the unspun fiber. She’ll pick up the ball and carry it around the house while I’m trying to ply which somehow has worked out without any hiccups or breaks.

May 22 (Day 46): Today’s adventures in plying saw my spinning buddy leading me around again , not by the nose, but by the plying ball. Whenever I put the ball and basket on a low table, she’s going to grab the ball and take me on a merry chase down the hall and back. No yarn was harmed in the process. It was pretty fun chasing after her while keeping the spindle spinning. :)

May 23 (Day 47): Day 5 of plying and my old tricks are coming back to me. The reason I like a top whorl spindle for plying is that I can use my feet to give the spindle a kick start when the yarn needs more twist or a restart. This has been especially handy because my spinning buddy thinks it’s funny to poke the spindle until it stops moving. I like hearing her giggle which means I’m not complaining in the least.

May 24 (Day 48): Not much spinning today, but I did get in a few minutes here and there while my spinning buddy was playing outside.

May 25 (Day 49): I broke my own rule tonight - the one about not spinning after my spinning buddy goes to bed. This thing is that I really, really wanted to finish plying this yarn before the halfway mark, day 50. So that’s what I did. It took about an hour to get the last of the singles plied and on the spindle, and it was a trying process. The spindle was much heavier, absolutely packed, and there wasn’t much of a spot to grab to get things moving. I did it though. Here’s the spindle with my next 4 oz of fiber for scale.

There’s still the finishing work to do - skeining, washing, drying, and measuring - but I can do that in between spinning up the next yarn. While this first yarn isn’t technically complete, it still feels good to have bulk of the work done so I can start fresh for the second half of #the100DayProject.

#the100DayProject Weeks 4 and 5

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep and the first week of spinning. Weeks 2 and 3 are here.

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Week 4

April 28 (Day 22): Usually the videos I take of the day’s spinning capture just a second of what I do. Today’s video caught just about everything. The only part it missed was the single breaking and the spindle hitting the floor. The first chance I had to pick up the spindle was after the day’s chores were done and my spinning buddy was in bed. My reserves were gone and I didn’t have the energy to try again when the single broke in the first 20 seconds of spinning.

I tried, that’s good enough for today.

April 29 (Day 23): While I’m enjoying the fiber I’m working with, I don’t want to spend all of May spinning it. So, I’m aiming to spin more than I have the in the last few days. Shouldn’t be too hard considering I only spun for 5 - 10 minutes at a time. Today’s spinning time probably clocked in at around half an hour, and the spindle looked much different when I was done. Feels good.

April 30 (Day 24): Got a nice chunk of yarn on the spindle while my spinning buddy enjoyed the daily showing of Frozen and Frozen II.

May 1 (Day 25): Long day today running errands. Spinning was almost an afterthought, but I got in a few minutes before calling it a day.

May 2 (Day 26): Spinning was an afternoon activity when I realized I hadn’t spun during the morning. I squeezed in a few minutes while my spinning buddy rearranged the living room.

May 3 (Day 27): I got to spin outside today while my spinning buddy dug holes and covered the patio with chalk. It was a nice change of pace. Had to cut my spinning time short though to add my own chalk scribbles. :)

May 4 (Day 28): Surprisingly, I got a lot of spinning done today. My spinning buddy wanted to snuggle up and watch Frozen so that’s what she did. At the same time, I got to make yarn. A lot of yarn.

Week 5

May 5 (Day 29): I am so close to joining the last piece of roving! Probably could have done so today if my afternoon time hadn’t been eaten up my other things. Definitely tomorrow.

May 6 (Day 30): Okay, so I haven’t started on the last section of fiber yet, but I’m getting close. There’s just a few inches left. Definitely tomorrow, for real this time.

May 7 (Day 31): Yay! I finally made it to the last length of fiber for this single! Getting to this point has been a bit of slog at times, but I’m still making yarn a few yards at a time.

I wasn’t sure when I started how much yarn I would end up making at the end of the 100 days, but I did have the rough idea of a skein a month. Here I am, a month in to 3.3 month project, and I’m not even plying the first yarn yet. I’ve never been the fastest spindle spinner though. Ah well. My goal was never to spin all the yarn or clear out my fiber stash (that’s the work of years at the rate I’m going). The goal is to spin yarn and get back to doing something I love that got lost in the shuffle of motherhood. Even if this yarn turns out to be the only skein I finish, #the100DayProject will still be a success.

May 8 (Day 32): More spinning today during the daily showing of Frozen, and in random bits here and there.

May 9 and 10 (Days 33 and 34): Not so much spinning this weekend, but I still turned more fiber into yarn.

May 11 (Day 35): The only real rule I’ve been sticking to for #the100DayProject is doing it every day. I don't set a 15 minute timer. I don't do daily updates on Instagram. I don't take photos every day.

What I have done is make this project work for me. I keep my spindle and fiber out where I can see them. When I have a free moment, I make yarn. Some days that means I spin just a minute or two and some days I get 45 minutes. Instead of daily photos and Instagram posts, I take a quick video and compile them with the 1 Second Everyday app. The video isn’t even a minute long and covers over a month of spinning, but it’s something that I can come back to easily. And I keep this log, more or less daily, with no pressure to care about how an algorithm might share it. That’s the most freeing part.

#the100DayProject Weeks 2 and 3

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what to spin next during this project.

If you’re just joining me, here’s what I did to prep as well as my first week of spinning.

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Week 2

April 14 (Day 8): Yep, still spinning. In an attempt to make drafting a little easier, I fluffed up the roving by pulling it out to the sides. It’s still all in one piece, but isn’t compacted. Way easier to work with now.

April 15 (Day 9): Had the thought that, if I was working with my wheel, I’d be plying right now instead of still drafting the first single. That’d be in a perfect world though with no interruptions. In this world, past experience has shown that I wouldn’t be spinning at all. I have a new found appreciation for all those women who made a living spinning yarn and knitting garments and keeping the home going while taking care of children.

April 16 (Day 10): Spent most of my spinning time with a lovely section of teal. Well, I like the color. The single kept snapping and pulling apart which I’m not sure was on me or the fiber. Maybe a little bit of both. Today probably takes the cake for the most breaks and joins (not all successful) since Day 1.

April 17 (Day 11): The single on the spindle looks so different from day to day! Even on days where I only get a few minutes to spin, the color and wrap changes so much that it’s like picking up something new to work on. This is not to say that I don’t occasionally get bored and wish the process was going faster. I do. So it’s definitely a good thing I picked fiber with a bit of variety or I’d seriously be thinking about switching things up right now.

April 18 (Day 12): I kept looking at the quickly shortening length of roving and wondering if today would be the day I spun it up. Nope.

April 19 (Day 13): Yay! I finished spinning the first single for the 2-ply this morning. I probably should have paced myself and spun in smaller chunks throughout the day because my shoulder hurts now. Most of today’s spinning was accomplished while sitting cross-legged on the ground which doesn’t leave much height for a lengthening single. So I held my drafting arm way up over my head, and that’s not the most ergonomic of positions. But it’s done. I’m taking a break for the rest of the day. Prepping a leader and removing the spindle can wait until tomorrow.

April 20 (Day 14): I needed that mini break last afternoon and night. My shoulder feels better, but still a little tender. Fine to draft more yarn though.

Pulled the spindle apart and out of the cop, which took more effort than I expected, and finagled the leader out of the center. The cop looks good and is mostly holding together besides from a few fly away strands from the last wraps. I’m hoping it’ll hold up to being a center pull ball during plying...and that the joins will hold up too.

I put the spindle back together and tied a new leader using sock yarn. Then I spun a few yards and only a few yards. The bulk of today’s crafting time went to finishing a last minute baby knit that I need to get in the mail ASAP. Kept the streak going though.

I feel like this would be the time to say something profound about completing another week of #the100DayProject. I got nothing. All I’m doing to making it easy for me to spin in bits and pieces every day without adding too many rules or expectations. It helps that kiddo is my spinning buddy now.

Week 3

April 21 (Day 15): Spent half the time I would have been spinning sewing buttons on a baby sweater. Turned out so cute. I did get a few more yards wound on the spindle in the afternoon.

After spinning the past week on a very full spindle, the last two days have been an adjustment. I have to be way more careful to keep the spindle turning because it doesn’t have enough weight on it to keep spinning as long as it did with an extra ounce or when it gets jostled by a stray toddler foot.

April 22 (Day 16): I got to spin for a few minutes outside today while my spinning buddy dug holes in the dirt. Good times.

April 23 (Day 17): Twist, draft, wind, twist, draft, wind... I am feeling very firmly in the middle of this project. Not the halfway done middle where you have the ending to look forward too. It’s the beginning is over and the end is still a long way off kind of middle. The same could be said for this half spun fiber. If the past few weeks are any indication, I have at least another week of work spinning this single before I can start plying. One day at a time and it’ll get done.

April 24 and 25 (Day 18 and 19): Doing all the things these two days - from grocery shopping to virtual hangouts to lots of cooking - tired me out and didn’t leave much space for spinning. I got a few turns in each day and called it enough. If the single broke, the single broke and I was done.

April 26 (Day 20): Places you can spin - social distancing edition:
1. At the kitchen table while your spinning buddy finishes breakfast.
2. At the kitchen table after lunch to get a quick video.
3. While sitting in the bathroom waiting to assist in grouting tile.
4. Pacing through the living room while your spinning buddy creates sculptures of rubber food.

April 27 (Day 21): Got a few minutes of spinning in today. Just enough to say that I hadn’t skipped a day. It’s going to take me way longer than a week to spin the rest of this single at the rate I’m going now.

#the100DayProject Prep and Week 1

I’ve joined up with #the100DayProject this year with the goal of spinning every day. Writing down a daily log of my progress is an easy way for me to stay accountable, follow though, and plan what I want to do with my next spinning projects during this time.

Last week of March: Decided to do #the100DayProject and committed to daily spinning around the kiddo. Set a few rules for myself to make things easier too.

April 3: Got my spindles off the shelf and picked the Jenkins Turkish Swan to spin on. Also sorted through my more recent fiber purchases and picked out 2 bumps to start with.

April 4: The first half of the fiber is in the bag with the spindle and the other is waiting on the shelf. Ready to go!

I prepped 5 oz of hand dyed Polworth to spin. I couldn’t find any discernible repeat to the colors so I split the roving in half lengthwise. Then I pulled those bumps in half at the midpoint.

The colors are even more varied now that I can see more of the individual fibers. Staple length is around 3” which leaves lots of room for color variation even in that space. So the plan for this fiber is simple: Leave the roving as it is and spin 2 singles for a 2-ply yarn. I’m curious to see if the colors will turn muddy or transcendent.

April 5: I know I’ve picked the right project because I am so excited to start. Waiting eagerly for April 7th over here.

April 6: Put my eager energy into baby gift knitting. So much closer to being finished with that baby sweater.

April 7 (Day 1): Day 1! I was actually somewhat eager to get out of bed because I knew today was the day! I pulled out my spindle and fiber after getting breakfast for kiddo. She was really interested in what I was doing. When I asked her if she like watching me spin, she gave me an enthusiastic “yes!”. That was awesome.

It is very obvious to me that it has been a long time since I’ve spun on a wheel or a spindle. The first hiccup was that I forgot to prep a leader to get started. That sorted, the good news is that my hands still know what to do, but it took me a few yards to find my grove. The spindle kept dropping because I wasn’t letting the spindle spin enough to add the right amount of twist to the single. Might by over twisting now, but we’ll see soon enough. Oh, and kiddo made sure to point out the discarded bits I pulled out to save my sanity. Not helping kid.

I did make one split second decision about this project which was to try to keep the cops pretty as I wind them. Makes the wrapping slow going, but I’m in no rush nor have I really attempted this before. Good thing it’s photogenic.

April 8 (Day 2): Ugh. I’ve hit my first real obstacle in spinning reasonably consistent yarn and enjoying the process: sweaty hands. It’s not even hot outside and my hands are already damp. This makes the fiber gets damp which prevents the roving from drafting smoothly. They get caught on one another and bunch up or pull from farther back in the roving instead of the tips. It’s not enough to felt, but it makes the single lumpy and fuzzy. This problem was easier to deal with when spinning on the wheel because I had a little more leeway to dry my hands. Not sure what the fix is going to be now.

On the upside, kiddo was interested in the spinning again today. She watched me working during her snack (but was was more interested in her cereal). Later, when she wasn’t in her high chair, she came up and gently touched the single as it hung and twisted. So cute!

April 9 (Day 3): Still spinning along. Kiddo’s been way more interested in the spinning today. She made a grab for the fiber so I pulled out a piece from the end for her. It held her attention for all of 3 seconds because the big chunk mom was working with was way more interesting. Later, after I’d finished winding the cop, she wanted to take a closer look. Seemed like she enjoyed it because she laughed and smiled all while poking the yarn and spindle. I had to keep her from scratching at it though. Now if only I could keep her from walking straight into the spindle while I’m spinning.

April 10 (Day 4): Not as much spinning time today, because I had to figure out a comfortable face mask and go grocery shopping. The few minutes I did have sitting in the sun later with my spindle were pretty nice though.

April 11 (Day 5): Finished the first piece of fiber! Now I’m halfway through the first single for this yarn.

April 12 (Day 6): I’ve been giving the kiddo the random bits of pulled out fiber. She’s way more interested in what mom’s doing than what mom’s making.

April 13 (Day 7): One week finished! With 93 days left to go (about 13 weeks), I’m really happy I picked spindle spinning. It’s versatile enough to let me spin when I can in bits and pieces throughout the day, and the kiddo likes watching me spin too. It’s a win for everyone!

Here’s what one week of spinning looks like. It might not look like much now, but it’s going to keep growing.

#the100DayProject 2020

I thought up a few different ideas for 2020’s #the100DayProject. Drawing every day. Learning to play the ukulele. Daily journaling. Consistent pattern design work. Recommitting to my other preexisting daily projects. In the end, I decided to go with the very first idea I had: making yarn everyday.

Spinning has been sorely neglected around here. I spun my most recent skein of yarn in 2018 for Tour de Fleece. I’m writing up the first draft of this post in the lull of cooking cauliflower for dinner and can’t remember if that skein ever made it off the bobbin to set the twist. Ugh. So, April 7th is the day I start spinning again.

But not on my wheel, on my spindles. I need a project for during the day that I can do around the kiddo. I need to be able to pick it up and put it down quickly. It needs to fit in a bag that can go on a shelf out of her reach. So the spindle wins over the wheel. Plus, kiddo needs to see mom doing something that isn’t staring at her phone/screens and that thing should be something mom likes to do.

There was one other big deciding factor as well. There’s not enough time during naps or after she goes to bed for another project. Those hours are full, and I do have to sleep sometime. It’s also a big help that I already have the tools and materials too.

So I’ve picked out my favorite spindle, a 33g Jenkins Turkish Swan, and a few bumps of fiber that have caught my eye. First up is 5 oz of organic Polworth that I picked up at the Handweavers of Boulder Guild Show and Sale last year (I think it was last year). Looks like the second project will be 4 oz of heathered BFL from Greenwood Fiber Arts.

Aside from making yarn everyday, I haven’t attached many constraints to this project. I’m not spinning for a project (at least right now), and I’m not using it clear the stash (though it will). Mostly, I’m just hoping to make spinning a part of my routine again and refresh my muscle memory. As for the posting every day on Instagram part of #the100DayProject, nope. I’m thinking about doing a weekly check in to hold myself accountable and show off my progress. Something simple so that it doesn't feel like a chore.

I took the opportunity on Saturday to prep my fiber and spindle. So I am ready. Are you tackling the project this year? It not too late to join or start, even if it’s way past April 7th when you’re reading this and social distancing is wearing thin.

A Finished Sweater for the Mini

#The100DayProject has been a great kick in the pants for my knitting. Not only am I knitting at night again, instead of scrolling through my phone, I’m actually finishing stuff. My first finished item is a Marigold Fields sweater for the Mini. I know baby/kid sweaters can be ridiculously fast knits, but the push to do something every day kept me from tucking this away to work on later. I got through the hard work of swatching, and figuring out mods for gauge, and actually starting which was the hardest thing of all. Working on the sweater, even as the yoke rows seemed to get longer and longer and longer, was the easy part.

This is only the second sweater that I’ve ever knit for the kiddo. I’ve got plans for a few others to make over the summer and fall, but this is the second which makes it special. The first sweater I finished before she was born, and it’s a special sweater too. That sweater was about what I wanted to make, and I planned it just so from the yarn to the pattern. It’s a warm, cosy welcome to the family even if she did have to grow into it. Now, well, she’s just about grown out of it. This second sweater isn’t just about what I want to make because now I have an idea of what she likes. And she likes the color yellow. So, I can make a sweater more for her and less about me. I’m looking forward to seeing what she wants in the years to come.

I couldn’t resist dressing up her in the sweater the other day after I’d wove in the ends. While she didn’t immediately wriggle out of it, she did put the sweater through its paces. I’m hoping she’ll like it better now that it has buttons. I haven’t actually put it on her since sewing on the buttons, because I made the next size up. So, it’s a bit big which is so much better than a bit small. She’ll have the rest of spring and the whole summer to grow into it. Probably won’t take that long though.

Finishing the sweater turned out to be more interesting and collaborative than usual. I did the usual first step of dropping it in some cool water with a squirt of Eucalan, and gave it 20 minutes to soak. Then I laid it out to dry on a mat on my studio floor. That only lasted until the Mini crawled in and got a good grab of it. To prevent any more drastic adjustments to the shape, I put the whole blocking rig on top of my printer. The problem was that the sweater was much bigger and stretched out than it had been before going in the bath. Plus, it was still rather damp even after sitting out all night and most of the morning. Something had to change. The yarn, Knit Picks Comfy, is a blend of cotton and acrylic. I’ve had good luck putting similar blends in the dryer before so I chucked this one in the dryer too. On low, of course. The dryer did the trick! The yarn plumped up, the stitches got neater, and the sweater went back to its original size. That’s a win on all fronts. Once I had some free time that night, I sewed on the buttons. The cuteness was complete.

What am I going to do for #The100DayProject now that this sweater is finished and documented? Next on the list is sewing buttons on a pair of slippers so I can finally wear them…next fall. Then I need to get started on a pair of fingerless mitts, including rewriting the pattern for scratch, to match a lace hat. My plans after that are still nebulous, but I’ve got some time to figure it out.

The Specs:

Pattern: Marigold Fields by Taiga Hilliard

Yarn: 251 yds Knit Picks Comfy - Semolina

Needles: US 8 (5mm) and US 9 (5.5mm)

Dates: April 13 - 30, 2019

Full modifications and notes listed on Ravelry

Yarn, Knitting, and #The100DayProject

#The100DayProject, a project dedicated to 100 days of whatever you choose, kicked off earlier this month, and I decided to join last minute. I’ve tackled this project in previous years with the goals of daily art, and spinning. For this year’s project, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to commit 100 days to. All I knew was that I was so bored of starring at my phone when I plopped on the couch at the end of the day after putting the Mini to bed. I wanted to do something or make something instead of endlessly scrolling through whatever or playing another game for the Nth time. So there was my project. My goal for 100 days was to put down my phone and make something. It’s been an interesting and fun change of pace. I haven’t done a great job of posting my daily progress online (mainly because it’s already after 11PM when I’m done), but I have put down my phone to make tasty desserts, write tutorials, take photos, pick out buttons, and knit lots.

#The100DayProject might be bringing back my knitting mojo. I returned to a pair of floundering socks for the Bearded One. I finished a pair of slippers, and now just need to sew on 12 buttons. The main project that I’ve devoted the past few days to is a new sweater for the Mini. She’s almost outgrown the first sweater I made her, and I want something she can wear through the Summer and into Fall. All of my perusing through Ravelry for baby stuff while I was still pregnant left me with lots of options to choose from. I picked out three sweaters and first up is Marigold Fields by Taiga Hilliard I had the yarn and the pattern already, but the 100 Day Project gave me the kick I needed to actually start. Casting on turned out to be harder than expected because I couldn’t get a fabric I liked at the required gauge. So I came back the next day to figure out how to make the yarn and pattern work together.

And here we are now. The lace yoke is finished. The arm holes are bound off. My mods went off without a hitch. Now I’m zooming through the body with 3” left before the bottom edge. I’m making the 2T size which will probably be a bit big for her right now, but should hopefully fit her for a long time.

I’m glad I committed to #The100DayProject after taking a break from it last year. It’s helping me feel like my old self and remember what I like so much about yarn. Anyone else tackling the Project with me?

A Handspun Purple Gradient

And done! The extra long purple gradient I’ve been working on since mid March is finally yarn and ready to knit. I tackled the last bit of spinning and plying last week, and got the handspun off the bobbins on Sunday. Then the later skeins got a bath to set the twist before I hung them up to dry. In fact the bigger skeins were still a wee bit damp when I took these photos.

This felt like such a big project when I was in the middle of it. I usually spin 4 ounces at a time and keep it as one big skein. Working with 6 ounces and splitting it into 8 mini-skeins definitely changed things up. There was more upfront prep. More bobbins. More plying. More letting the twist rest overnight. More baths to set the twist (otherwise I would have mixed up the gradient order).  All that extra work tricked me into thinking it was a much larger project than it was.  An additional 2 ounces of fiber isn’t all that much, nor is 6 ounces anywhere close to a sweater quantity of handspun. When I look at the skeins all lined up, they still seem like a big project because I know just how much work, time, and brain space when into making them. Because of that, I’m proud of all 8 of these skeins. They’re the same weight and have the same finished texture. I feel like I can move onto bigger and more involved spinning projects now. Might not be all that long before I start spinning yarn for a sweater. Or a giant blanket.

I really enjoyed spinning this fiber, and I wish I could remember the vendor I bought it from. All I know is that it’s wool and that it was one of the last things that caught my eye at Interweave Yarn Fest 2016. I wish I’d put all the details up on the Ravelry stash page when the info was fresh in my mind. Maybe I’ll find the receipt, but I doubt it. 

Now for the technical details. Since it had been so long since I saw what was in the middle of the roving ball, I laid it all out flat. Wasn’t sure what I wanted to do before, but seeing the complete color gradient made my decision easy. I split the gradient into its 8 major color sections and wound them into nests, making sure to keep the colors moving in the same direction. I wanted to preserve the colors and variation within each section as much as possible so I decided to chain ply. 

I started with the smallest nest of fiber which just so happened to be at one end of the gradient. Then I treated this first skein as a sample to figure out how I wanted to spin the 7 other bigger skeins. You can read more about that process here.

Once I figured out which drafting method worked for the fiber and the finished yarn, the only thing left to do was to get spinning. This fortunately coincided with the start of #the100DayProject where I dedicated myself to making yarn everyday for 100 days. That little bit of daily spinning, even if it was only 10 minutes, really added up. And the 100 Day Project kept me spinning even on busy days when I would have skipped it otherwise. 

A post shared by April Klich (@aprilklich) on May 16, 2017 at 7:36pm PDT

Almost 2 months later, I’ve got about 560 yards of sport weight yarn. I’m sure that number shrunk when I set the twist, but there’s still plenty of yardage to make a cosy shawl. I have an idea in my head for what that will look shawl will like, and I’m almost ready to get that down on paper. I think it’s time to get swatching.  

Bringing Back The Creative Mojo

There’s been a lot of making going on around here, and I have #The100DayProject to thank. I was in a bit of a making rut the past few months. Didn’t really want to knit, spin, or draw beyond the simplest doodle. Reading, video games, and staring on my phone claimed my free time. I don’t regret how many books I read or hours spent playing games, but I knew I’d need a push to get making again. #The100DayProject turned out to be just the thing. 

I had started spinning the big purple gradient in March in bits and pieces. It certainly wasn’t the every day project that it is now. I’m glad that changed because there’s no way I’d have 4 finished skeins and have started the 5th otherwise. Being halfway through with what feels like a rather large project - at only 6 ounces of fiber total, it’s not - is rather nice. I had a sneaking suspicion that would be the case. 

What I didn’t expect was that a routine of daily spinning would bring back my drive to knit on slumbering projects, draw more complicated sketches, and even fiddle around with video editing. At the beginning of March just the thought of that stuff made me tired. Now now. My Sockhead Hat is a few rows taller and my past due gift knitting is almost done. My sketchbook is getting full and I put together a short video of a bobbin filling up with chain-plied yarn. 

I wish I could put my finger on exactly why a daily project recharged my creativity. I’d certainly use the trick to hack my behavior on a regular basis. Maybe it’s seeing daily progress. Maybe it’s because I’m solving puzzles and focusing on the details. Whatever the cause, this high tide of creativity isn’t going to last forever, so I’m going to enjoy it while it’s here. Then I’ll enjoy the low tide too and take a break. When I’m ready to start making again, I’ll pick another daily project and see where it takes me.

A New Eye For Spinning Color

I’m happy to say that the #100handspunday project is still a daily thing. Aside from 1 day during the first week, I haven’t pushed a day off to do on the next. It’s hard for me to get going again once that little chain of “x’s” breaks for any reason. So I don’t stop, even on the long days. That’swhen I get handspun off the bobbins and measure yardage. Then there are the days when I can spin for an hour and go back for more after stretching my wrists.   

A little bit of flexibility has been key for me keeping this project going. The second part of Maggie Casey’s You Can’t Tell A Braid By It’s Color has also helped me spin every day. First, it’s a spinning class and you actually have to spin yarn. That took care of 2 days right there. Second, I had to spin samples for homework which took up a good chunk of last week. Third, the class pushed me right out my usual spinning comfort zone. 

We worked with several colors and fiber that I liked and wanted to try, such as the blue silk/wool single, but also colors that wouldn’t be my first choice. The rainbow single is a mix of bright saturatedcolors that I drafted together with more muted tones. I didn’t expect to like the combo (wish I’d taken a before photo of the fiber) and was pleasantly surprised at how the colors melded.

When I was spinning samples for plying, I paired like colors together. There was a semi-solid dark blue paired with bright blue and purple. Another pair was a solid red single and a striped blue and red single. The blues turned into the really interesting 2-ply on the left. 

The red pair turned into first attempts at different yarn constructions. There was a 4-ply cable, which I’ve only got a yard of, and the chain-ply, above right, spun with 2 plies instead of 1. I could have used an extra hand or two because you’re only looping 1 ply at a time and bringing the other along for the ride. Getting the tension right is trying. 

The skein in the middle is a bright red and purple fractal yarn. I’ve spun plenty of fractal yarns, but chugged along on this one because the colors aren’t my usual pick. Curious to see how it knits up. 

I had a few samples leftover so I spent yesterday plying them in different ways. Now I need to get them off the bobbins and set the twist. Also plied a few other leftovers that had been hanging around. Looking forward to all the mini-skeins that will come out of this. 

The class got me thinking about color and spinning in a new way. My previous modus operandi would be to to spin yarns to preserve the color with clear distinct stripes, chain-plying, or singles. If I was feeling more adventurous (and the dye pattern of the fiber was clear), I’d aim for a fractal. Or I wouldn’t bother at all and just spin a 2-ply or 3-ply. 

A post shared by April Klich (@aprilklich) on Apr 18, 2017 at 1:24pm PDT

I’m sure I’ll still do all of those things, but now I’ll sample to see how colors will blend and heather in the drafting. I’ll try to figure out how to pair wildly different colors and braids together to create a specific effect. I’ll give more consideration to how construction and yarn weight affect color. I’m also going to sample more and do it for fun. I really liked those bite-sized chunks of spinning because of how wild the results might be. It’s also given me an appreciation dyed with bright saturated colors because I know they can be tamed and changed. 

If you get the chance and you want to explore spinning color, You Can’t Tell A Braid By It’s Color is a class worth taking. You can read my thoughts about the first part of the class here. It’s changed my outlook on dyed fiber and gave me the tools to manipulate color through every step of spinning. Plus, it’s given me plenty of ideas for what to spin for the rest of my #100HandspunDays. 

#100HandspunDays and Homework

#the100dayproject and my 100 days of handspun started last Tuesday. I already missed a day, but I did make it up when I had both the time and energy to spin yarn. And, in a happy coincidence, the project kicked off the same week that I was going to a spinning class. Maggie Casey was teaching You Can’t Tell A Braid By Its Color, a 2-part class about different ways to spin and manipulate color. 

Part 1 focused on drafting. We got a few different kinds of dyed fiber to work with: top made of longitudinal stripes, semi-solid colors, heavily blended heathers, splotchy dye jobs, and top with long sections of color. I made fine fingering samples and bulky samples. I spun worsted, long-draw, and even over the fold. I spun the fiber as is, pre-drafted, and teased out sideways. I divided fiber into narrow strips to change the ratio of colors. All of this to see how these methods affected the color in the singles. Then I plied the singles back on themselves in either a 2-ply or chain-ply. 

Going into this class, I thought I knew a decent amount about how to spin with color. I’m not a beginner, but there’s clearly still a lot to learn. The thought isn’t disappointing or depressing. It’s exciting because there are still things to try and and techniques to play with. Learning anything is a journey, not a destination. 

2 of my favorite samples came from fiber that’s way outside my usual picks. I sampled with Northern Lights top in the very bright Circus colorway. The top yarn is spun without changing anything about the color at all. But for the bottom yarn, I held two sections of the top together so that drafting created an eye-catching heather. I’d knit with this yarn. 

My other favorite sample came from roving dyed by Hummingbird Moon. It’s splotchy with black, white, purples, bright green, and neon pink. Drafting mellows and heathers the colors so that they work together. The bright green and pinks create interesting pops of color that draw the eye instead of push it away. I’m rather smitten, and happy to have some of this fiber stashed away for later. 

I came home with a lot of samples and a bit of homework too. The next class is all about how plying affects color and I need to bring well-rested singles. Won’t be waiting to the last minute to get this done. I’m actually happy to have this assignment because it gives me a non-negotiable deadline inside my 100 Day Project. No figuring out what to do that day from a dozen possibilities. No convincing myself that I could just do it later.  Plus, the different colors and methods are a nice break from my long-term projects. Time to get back to spinning. 

100 Days of Handspun

One of goals for 2017 is to get back to my wheel and spin more yarn. Writing it down is one thing, actually doing it is another. So to keep myself accountable and accomplish this goal, I’m joining #the100DayProject. Simply put, the 100 Day project is a world wide art project where you do one small thing for 100 days. This cute video explains it well. 

I’m going to keep my rules simple and convenient so I can keep the project going for the long haul. Plus, I want to improve my improve my spinning skills and knowledge.

1. Sit down at the wheel and spin!
2. Fiber prep counts. So taking a few days (or weeks) to learn how to make batts or practice hand carding is encouraged.
3. Work out of the fiber stash and see just how far it’ll go.
4. On busy draining days, reading about fiber, breed characteristics, and yarn construction is a-ok. What good is having a spinning reference shelf if I never use it?
5. Share the day’s spinning on Instagram and in blog posts. I’m using #100HandspunDays to keep things organized.  

A post shared by April Klich (@aprilklich) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:50am PDT

Today, April 4th, is Day 1 and first bit of handspun is on the bobbin. I’m continuing with the purple gradient - nothing said I had to start a brand new project after all. I’m on the 3rd of 8 nests and curious to see it all spun up. 

Are you doing #the100DayProject? What’s your one small thing?