The Woolly Mother on Esty.com

After much ado, I decided to open an Esty shop for my handspun yarns and, soon to come, spinning accessories. Setting up was pretty easy, though time consuming.

Etsy.com is a oneline shopping site for handmade goods. All items on the website are made by the shop owner therefore making them quite unique and set aside from the commercially mass produced goods. There are some marvellous items and its well worth having a look, especially if you have birthday gifts to find. 

As I enjoy spinning, even more than knitting, the shop will give me an outlet for all the yarns I manage to produce and accumulate. Hopefully, my handspun will find a loving home and be well utilised instead of just sitting around doing nothing.

One yarn is a beautifully soft dusky Burgundy handspun  
It has been spun to accentuate the slubby texture of the yarn, enhancing the colourway with splurges of white and darker burgundy.

This 'Tweed Twist' is a bulkier yarn and very soft. It will knit up very well into a vest or hat and scarf. The yarn will blend perfectly with a white or brown contrast, which can extend the 200grams into a long-sleeved garment for warm winter wear.










Other items include a natural brown bulky yarn, and a pale grey singles which was spun from a very soft corridale fleece.

Coming soon to the shop will be spinning accessories such as handcarder covers, spinning lapcloths, and fabric bobbin protectors. These invaluable accessories will be an asset to any spinner who would like to keep her, or his, spinning equipment in first class condition.

Anyone for Continental Knitting?

It's definitely a learning curve. Using the wool in the wrong hand, holding the needles differently - its like driving on the wrong side of the road, in the wrong side of the car...

But, it doesn't take long to pick it up. This afternoon is the first time I have attempted left-handed knitting - even though I am a left-handed person - and after a few stumbles for an hour or so, I had it. Now I just have to keep it. That means practicing, regularly. Well, I am knitting a plain garter stitch scarf as well as the lacy one, so that will be a good opportunity to get in plenty of practice.

Oh dear, I don't seem to have any excuses not to practice...

I am quite surprised how easy continental knitting is once you get the hang of it. I'm by no means fast yet, too soon, and I still 'loose the wool' by the tension slacking off, but I'm getting the hang of it.

There are plenty of videos on YouTube of varying lengths for 'hands-on' tuition. Even with Continental knitting there are a few techniques. Some hold the wool wrapped around the little finger and over the forefinger, others double wrap the wool just around the forefinger, some hold the forefinger away from the needle when knitting the stitches, or it can be held close and 'pick' the yarn directly off the finger. These are just a few techniques, there are more.

I'm still working out which way is the best for me. Whichever way you find suits you is the right way - for you.