Knit notes - Handspun Sweater.

So, last summer I spun up a sweaters worth of yarn.



In February, I cast on for Rosa's Sleeveless Cardi.  I did some math to make it more of an xs/s, since I'm just a pettit little thing.



I continue on knitting, trying it on, as I go.



I get to a point in the increases, where it seems my yarn choice and pattern choice do not mix, and begin to frog, noticing that I have a little problem, even further up then I'd intended on frogging... Which definitly sucks, to have to frog back further. Thankfully, it's on size 11's.



Close to finishing, I decided to add sleeves.  Just short ones.



All that's left is weaving in the ends!  How long do you suppose that'll take me?

~Kara

Cotton

Oh cotton.  I wear you every day. You are one of the most comfortable fibres to wear.   Even my sheets are made of you, and I love how comfy they are. But why, oh why, do you have to be so dang tricky to spin!?  you could be nice and easy, like wool. But you are tricky.  Snapping, and drifting at a moments notice. Being bumpy and lumpy and not wanting to draft like buttah, even when you are Pima.  Breaking when I ply the singles.  Breaking when you are plied, and should be stable.  You're a mean fibre, and maybe I'll leave you after this. Or maybe I won't.  Maybe I'll conquer you. Maybe I will stick to with you, beyond the course requirements.  Maybe, one day I'll enjoy making yarn from you, cotton.  Until then, I'll suffer through the requirements, and not be bowled over by you.

Sincerely,
One frustrated master spinner student.

~Kara


P.S. Dear readers,  I'm nearly done my homework! just another 8 skeins, 2 swatches, and the final project to go.  I think I'm going with silk! should be fun!

The least cool 5 point exercise

I have no idea why this exercise is only worth 5 points. If it were up to me, I'd make it worth 10, if just for the fact that it's entirely to time consuming.  40 yards of cable plied yarn takes an entire day to spin. Yes. An entire day, as in i woke up, fed the kids, got them off to school and sat at my wheel.  Then I got hungry so I stopped for lunch. Then I went back to my wheel. Then I got the kids from school and, you guessed it, back to my wheel. Everyone needed to be fed, so I did that, and I went back to my wheel one more time. So, aside from the required eating breaks I was at the spinning wheel from 9am until 9:30 pm.  It was intense. But it's done.  And I learned that unless I have a very special project in mind, I'll never spin a cable plied yarn again.  That was ridiculous.

One more exercise bites the dust. Only 20 more to go.  And the final project. May the spinning Gods smile upon me, and grant me balance, and speedy, successful spinning.

~Kara

Reasses

It's a few days into March and as I'd only set out a plan for February, I sat down to see where I'm at in terms if homework. I'm no where near done... February was full of hiccups and fails, an as such I was only able to cross off 7 items on my list. 7 out of 16. That's just not good. So now I've made myself an entirely new, more intense list. 20 items, that do not include the workbook portion. It's all spinning and swatching. 

I'm going to have to neglect things like laundry and cooking if I want this done. Time to buckle down and do it, I suppose. 

~Kara