Thursday, March 09, 2006
nirvana to touch
Last year at Black Sheep Gathering, Carolina Homespun (one of my favorite suppliers) had a special on ultrafine merino. 150's to be exact. Regular merino is 8o's, fine is 90's. Cashmere ranks at around 120. So, I got two oz, for the bargain of $12. I was planning on spinning some lace-weight and making a scarf or wrap. Here's my very auspicious start:
Can you see it? I love this wool!!
I don't even need to draft this stuff! It spins soooo beautifully. Plied, it's a little smaller than the Shadow I got for the Snowdrop shawl. This is definitely deserving of a very special project. I nearly whimpered when I pulled it out this even'n, cuz I had forgotten it was sitting there; and remembering how soft it's supposed to be doesn't even compare with the truth. Think Egyptian cotton (which I need to finish off...) combined with guanaco (ditto to that). I have to get more of this stuff if they have it next year.
I LOVE my ultrafine flyer, btw. I had to have it special ordered, but it was worth it. This stuff is as fine as thread, and I'm not even trying. Trying produced yarn the weight of the silk composit we used in Jacquard weaving.
Does anyone have any truly fabulous scarf pattern recommendations? I was thinking one of the ones from Sarah Don's The Art of Shetland Lace. I also just got Scarf Style, but I don't remember any lace patterns for something this fine...
Anyway, I bet you can tell that petting this top made me feel reallyreallyreally good. Seriously, it's Nirvana-inducing. I got all calm and warm and everything was sooooooooooo nice. I really recommend it. Well, I recommend spinning in general, but this stuff is glorious.
Oooooh, in other good news, today I picked up the two free alpaca fleeces the Guild will be using to demonstrate handspinning at the Heart of the Valley Alpaca Show. Yummers. I don't need anymore alpaca (actually I think I have over 4 lbs of it sitting in my room), but I know some spinners in the Guild who'll love it. Great deal, non?
I'm going back to my "prayer wheel" now :D
OOOH, now I have to etch some sorta Buddhist symbols on there somewhere ;)
Can you see it? I love this wool!!
I don't even need to draft this stuff! It spins soooo beautifully. Plied, it's a little smaller than the Shadow I got for the Snowdrop shawl. This is definitely deserving of a very special project. I nearly whimpered when I pulled it out this even'n, cuz I had forgotten it was sitting there; and remembering how soft it's supposed to be doesn't even compare with the truth. Think Egyptian cotton (which I need to finish off...) combined with guanaco (ditto to that). I have to get more of this stuff if they have it next year.
I LOVE my ultrafine flyer, btw. I had to have it special ordered, but it was worth it. This stuff is as fine as thread, and I'm not even trying. Trying produced yarn the weight of the silk composit we used in Jacquard weaving.
Does anyone have any truly fabulous scarf pattern recommendations? I was thinking one of the ones from Sarah Don's The Art of Shetland Lace. I also just got Scarf Style, but I don't remember any lace patterns for something this fine...
Anyway, I bet you can tell that petting this top made me feel reallyreallyreally good. Seriously, it's Nirvana-inducing. I got all calm and warm and everything was sooooooooooo nice. I really recommend it. Well, I recommend spinning in general, but this stuff is glorious.
Oooooh, in other good news, today I picked up the two free alpaca fleeces the Guild will be using to demonstrate handspinning at the Heart of the Valley Alpaca Show. Yummers. I don't need anymore alpaca (actually I think I have over 4 lbs of it sitting in my room), but I know some spinners in the Guild who'll love it. Great deal, non?
I'm going back to my "prayer wheel" now :D
OOOH, now I have to etch some sorta Buddhist symbols on there somewhere ;)
Click
- Knitting patterns
- Baking recipes
- 2 sox/2 circs Tutorial
- Recommended Reads
- Some useful fyber links
& Quack
Recent Posts
Knit-A-Longs:
blogroll:
random pix
About Me
- Name: Sara M
- Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
I'm a recent graduate of the University of Oregon, a Peace Corps nominee, and trying to knit, spin, and craft up my stash before I get sent off to a foreign country for 2 years.
