I've been admiring and drooling after most of the designs in the book
A Fine Fleece ever since it came out. How I adore cables!
This book shows every project in both a commercially available yarn, and in handspun. I recently started spinning some fiber from my stash that I'd had processed by
Fantasy Fibers into roving, ready to spin. A few years ago I gathered up a LOT of fibers - fleeces from all over in wools, mohairs, angora, silk - you name it. I'd dyed lots of things without any projects in mind, just because it's fun. Stupidly though, I didn't mark what I took in and had blended, so I don't know what sort of fleece or blend I've got in any of the colors I took her that day. Sigh. So Janell blended up the blues in one batch, the reds in another, etc. I recently started spinning up the blue and I have a bit over 2 pounds I think. Enough for an interesting project! Now, I don't typically spin for a project. I spin for the love of the process, just like I dye for the love of the process. BUT, looking at this book, I keep thinking hmmmm, maybe I should spin for one of these sweaters. And then I back away - way too ambitious a thought! But I keep coming back to it.
This week I committed to buying the book, and now I'm trying to decide which of these sweaters to make: (I apologize for my crummy photos, they looks sooo much nicer in the book!)
I have an abundance of wonderful choices! I don't know how I'm going to decide. They're all worsted weight, so I can probably spin a bunch of yarn before I have to decide. And that's another thing, I'll have to spin some and ply it and SWATCH like crazy! I tend to do swatches anyway, although I'm not as rigorous about it as I should be. But this will be really critical - this will tell me if I'm making the right yarn to begin with!!
There's a lady in Salem named Helen who is making EVERY project in the book. I am so impressed with that goal! Here I am barely able to commit to one of them. Helen, you're my inspiration!
Maybe this will be my New Year's Resolution. It will definitely be a stretch goal for me. What goals are you stretching for?
2 comments:
Love the drape of all those sweaters - the ribbing doesn't hug. Very nice! So for stretching myself - How about I try to dig out the sweater-in-progress from about 10 years ago that's been stored in a box since we moved?
I bought that book for the handspun option in general and specifically for the Trinity Vest, but haven't tackled it or anything else yet. But now that I have finished a 2.75-pounds-of-alpaca-top spinning obligation and bought myself a Hansen miniSpinner, I am hopeful that I will be able to spin enough for a big project for myself. I'll be following along for inspiration! (And Helen is superhuman -- or at least not homeschooling her son at the moment!)
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