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complete denial
Posted on | October 9, 2009 | 20 Comments
I walked outside this morning, into the sauna that is Alabama in October (75 degrees and 88% humidity) and realized, yet again, that I will be able to wear my current knitting project approximately once per season – on a cold day in February, outside, while wearing nothing else.
Such is my brand of crazy that that will not stop me from finishing it.
Just look at that yoke. Yummy yummy handspun!
The yoke is knit from this Crosspatch Creations batt I got at SOAR last year:
and the body is knit from an enormous 8 oz. batt I bought at SAFF in 2007 -
The spinners out there will appreciate this – you know how you buy 4 oz. of fiber and spin it, and think what on earth am I going to do with this little bit of yarn? You have barely enough for a good-sized scarf and a far cry from sweater quantity. So you toss it in a bin and sometimes it lands next to another small quantity of yarn and inspiration hits! That is what happened with these two yarns. I had about 600 yards of the blue (70% wool, 30% angora) and I can’t remember how much of the multi, probably 300-400 yards, so I thought I’d combine the two and see how far I could go. I’ll be happy with a vest and thrilled with a sweater.
I’m at the bottom of the waist and this is how much I have left of the body yarn. I haven’t weighed it, I’m afraid to. I do have, in my back pocket, this:
This is a small skein (147 yards) I spun before I realized that the fiber wanted to be finer. I’ve put it back through the wheel to remove some of the twist and this weekend I’m going to try to un-ply it and re-spin it thinner so that it matches the yarn I’m using for the body. That should give me enough yardage for sleeves.
Wish me luck!
P.S. The pattern I’m loosely following is Becky’s Transitions Yoke Cardigan, which is very easy to follow, fit my gauge perfectly and FREE!
Comments
20 Responses to “complete denial”
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October 9th, 2009 @ 9:25 am
Go Elizabeth, go! I love it, and I’m impressed by how beautiful your sweater is coming out. I’ll be crossing my fingers for you.
I firmly maintain that you and the husbeast need to move to at least Maryland. Then you can wear sweaters with impunity. :)
October 9th, 2009 @ 9:52 am
oh, my, that yoke is stunning! and this sweater just means you’ll have to take a trip somewhere cold this winter. (up to the mountains?) my fingers are crossed for you on the amount-of-yarn front.
October 9th, 2009 @ 10:18 am
wow, handspun sweaters. I have begun dreaming about handspun sweaters. (Your dilemma is why I think I can get miles and miles of yarn from my fleeces – must blend with something not-as-warm to have a chance to wear them more than every third year.)
October 9th, 2009 @ 10:25 am
It is beautiful and you never know. You might get to wear it twice in once season and be the only well-dressed warm one in Alabama!
October 9th, 2009 @ 10:45 am
Woo Hoo!
Good luck!
October 9th, 2009 @ 12:07 pm
We crazies gotta stick together!
;-)
October 9th, 2009 @ 12:08 pm
It’s not denial, it’s stubbornness. It looks great, and I’m sure you’ll make it work.
October 9th, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
No it’s a determination to knit what makes you happy regardless of the weather out and because you love the process. I love the end result! Can’t wait to see it finished and the modeled shots with you in it hopefully not sweating bullets in the process. :-)
October 9th, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
I know, I shook my fist at the humidity in the air this morning. So unfair. All I want to do is knit a cozy sweater, but I would like to wear it more often than my closet shelf does.
October 9th, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
What a happy sweater! Um, if it gets sad lying in your drawer and only being worn one cold day in February, you could send it to me for the winter. I’d be happy to return it in, say, May 2010? ;-)
October 9th, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
Oh that gorgeous handspun!
Lovely, lovely sweater.
Sorry to hear that the weather is not co-operating with you. :-(
Even when it is cold, I am rarely cold enough for handknits. But I press on myself.
We all suffer from the same madness!
October 9th, 2009 @ 6:54 pm
I think I finally have enough of a fiber, or two that I could possibly knit a sweater/cardigan out of it, once its spun up of course!
If it makes you happy, do it!
October 9th, 2009 @ 8:51 pm
Wow–if you do end up unplying and respinning that extra fiber, I hope you’ll post about the process. I have some early yarn efforts that I would love to have another shot at. Good luck with the sweater! it’s lovely.
October 10th, 2009 @ 7:58 am
OH, I love the challenge of a good “squeeker”!
As usual, your work and photo documentation of it, is superb ;-)
October 10th, 2009 @ 11:27 am
lol I know what you mean. I have to sit inside in the air conditioning to wear my Central Park Hoodie.
October 11th, 2009 @ 5:02 am
Your post title says it all. But you GO! I’ve never removed twist to respin. Let me know how it goes. (Maybe a really short vest is in order here. Oh. That would leave boobs exposed?? Oh well.)
October 12th, 2009 @ 6:28 am
I like what I can see so far. Will you take a straight-on pic to show us? Good luck with unplying and respinning the yarn. I definitely don’t envy you that task.
October 13th, 2009 @ 11:18 am
Ahhh….Fall in the South!!!
Hopefully you’ll get to wear the sweater before February!! Love the yoke!!
October 14th, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
Gorgeous colors! I love this idea for using some handspun, and it could be combined with commercial to make actually finishing a handspun project less daunting…
November 2nd, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
That yoke is damn gorgeous!! I love those colors. Can’t wait to see it finished – and wishing you a few cool days in which to wear it!