Tag: yarn

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Fiber of the Month – December

Autumn

I signed up for the fiber of the month club with ParadiseFibers.com, and every month they send some sort of fiber along with miscellaneous goodies.

Here’s the yarn that I made with December’s fiber:

The one with Christmas colors is a merino/alpaca blend, and I followed the instructions for fractal color spinning that came with it. I’m very curious about what it will look like once knitted.

The white one is yak down. It is incredibly fine and soft … and far outside of my skill zone as a n00b. I really struggled to maintain any semblance of control over the fiber while I was spinning it, so the end result is … artistic. My skirt also looked like I had been snuggling a white cat during shedding season after I finished, lol. But hey, I have a book on spinning that advises to “press on and keep practicing,” so that’s what I did.

All told, it was quite fun. I’m glad that I’m getting exposure to different types of fibers, especially since I tend to default to what sounds practical and rarely venture outside of that (having 5.5 kids will do that).

I’m looking forward to January’s haul. 🙂

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Forest Dream yarn

Autumn

I’m drowning in blue-green yarn.

I have about 2/3rds of my fiber spun, set, and ready to be wound into balls.

And dang does it feel like a lot of yarn … but I’m too lazy to calculate out the yards.

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Merino Wool

Autumn

I kettle dyed 1.5lbs of merino roving, which is very soft but still easy to spin into yarn.

My pan was big enough to hold about 4oz of wool, so I ended up doing it in six batches. I measured out the dye and water to keep the colors consistent, but I varied the way I applied it to keep things unique and interesting.

Next, spinning it into a 3-ply yarn.

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Handspun knitted orange hat

Autumn

A very orange hat for a very happy baby.

Now my other babies want me to make hats out of handspun yarn for them, too.

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Orange 3-ply hand spun yarn

Autumn

I am really good at coming up with catchy poetic names for my color palettes.

Maybe I ought to change it to ‘tangerine cream’ or ‘copper twist’ for more curb appeal, but I set out to make orange yarn, and by God I made orange yarn.

ORANGE.

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Orange

Autumn

One of my babies really loves the color orange.

I dyed some merino wool roving, to spin into yarn, to knit into a winter hat for her.

About Me

Rose Quartz handspun yarn

Autumn

Purchased from here

My phone kept automatically changing the color balance while I was taking pictures, which I found to be thoroughly amusing and decided to run with it.

Guess which one is the most accurate? 😀

Anywho, this yarn is going to be a new pair of mittens for yours truly.

About Me

Homespun Yarn

Autumn

Sandalwood Merino Wool Roving from Busy Bee Fibers

I definitely spin yarn like a beginner, but the fun thing is that it doesn’t matter. Seriously. Once it’s knitted/crocheted, you can barely tell that there were any inconsistencies.

Normally I don’t go for earth tones, but that roving was too scrumptiously beautiful to resist. I don’t know what it is, but that combination of colors just tickles me.

Now I need to figure out what to make with it…

About Me

Crochet Hanger Covers pattern

Autumn

Truth be told, this post is more for the anecdote than a crochet pattern…

Once upon a time when I was little, my mom taught me how to crochet hanger covers.

The white was the first one I ever made, and the other was after I had gotten a little bit better at crochet. They originally had pompoms, but those got lost somewhere along the way. Wasn’t I so cute back then? I didn’t have the slightest clue how to control the yarn, lol.

And this is what I can do now:

The funny part is, my mom actually hates making hanger covers. She’s quit for good, and has absolutely no interest in ever picking it back up again. As for me, I love it, through and through. I like how pretty the hangers are, and how clothes don’t slip off of them while I’m rummaging through my closet.

Now, I believe that the wood hangers used to make these are no longer being manufactured. I got mine from ebay, and there are usually a few in thrift stores, but the general consensus is that no one knows where to get them anymore. But hey, with some basic woodworking skills, you could totally corner the market!

This is the variation of the vintage favorite pattern that’s been passed down through my family:

Size H hook
Worsted weight yarn

Make 2

Ch 58
dc in third chain from hook, 4 dc in same sp (5dc)

*skip 2 ch, sc, skip 2, 6dc* across. In final ch sp, 12dc around to other side. Continue pattern across the bottom, mirroring the top.

In the last space with 5 dc, make 6dc then sl st into top of ch2.

Creates 10 shells total.

Place wrong sides together, and slip stitch the top of the two pieces together. Slide hanger hook in between stitches in the center, then continue slip stitching across the bottom with the hanger inside.

Weave in ends

Decorate!

Pompoms are more traditional, but they also look beautiful with crocheted flowers. Leave tail ends to tie around the hanger hook, then weave them in.