Spinning for Winter

Now that Christmas is out of the way, I've been trying to finish off some knitting, and start spinning for the coming winter - in plenty of time this year, I hope! Usually, I leave it too late and the 'winter woollies' are not ready in time. Although so far it seems to be a cool summer, it does give me chance to keep knitting instead of having to put it away until autumn.

The corridale/alpaca cardi is coming along nicely, with the back now complete and one front piece. The plan for this is to have it finished by end of January. It's knitting up very nicely and much quicker than I expected.

When worn, the ribbing is stretched out and gives a flatter look, with the bottom piece when attached dangling at the front in the modern fashion.

It's good when something turns out well. I started spinning the East Friesian thinking it would be too coarse for a jacket. Now, after it's plyed and washed, it might be a good yarn for the job. It will be a hard-wearing and warm yarn.

The fleece spins smoothly, although it is rather greasy. It was fairly easy to achieve an even yarn. I'm not used to spinning a thicker yarn and it did prove a challenge. After spinning the fine yarn during Le Tour, its tricky to start spinning a thicker yarn.

This is the fleece still on the bobbins in its greasy state.

Once it was plyed and washed, it turned out alright. It's not a brilliant while as with some downy type fleece, but nevertheless its attractive in its natural state and I'm still undecided as to whether I will dye the yarn or not.




















The final photos are of my current project, which I have decided will be my winter jacket. It came washed and pre-carded, although lumpy as the carding did not smooth all the noils. Its a mix of fawn and cream, giving a very light brown-ish colour. Again, this fleece has a downy texture, though is softer and slightly finer than the East Friesian. I have no idea as to the source, not having seen the sheep or the fleece in its natural state.

As you can see from the photo, the sliver is quite lumpy and textured. It is softer than it looks but the blend of colour is quite different.

On the bobbin. I'm spinning a medium yarn, that will fluff out when plyed and re-washed. The down charactistics ought to create a hard-wearing garment that will see through a few winters.

The next project is already on the drawing board. You guessed it  - SOCKS!