Na Craga with Nutiden
I finallyyyy started this dream project. It’s interesting because it isn’t exactly how I imagined. I always forget that because unspun has so little weight, it doesn’t create these chunky heavy cables that hang on my body with any weight – it just kind of sits there. With that in mind, plus with yarn chicken, I think I’m going to end up with something more cropped than the fully oversized workhorse sweater I was imagining from this inspiration photo.
But that’s ok! We’ll see how it goes. And I still would love to knit a chunky, oversized, heavy cable sweater with maybe some handspun at some point. I’m hoping to finish this in time to wear to Rhinebeck.
Handspun Cloud Sweater
This is pretty boring to knit but fun to see it come along. This yarn was outside of my norm, and I have very little “invested” in this project, but I think that’s what is making it fun and will ultimately be nice to wear.
Amish Quilt Handspun Design
This is a design I have been thinking about for soooo long. I originally was inspired by this quilt (which is actually not an Amish quilt, but was found during my Amish quilt browsing??):
And that actually inspired two different designs. This is the first and I am hoping to actually knit it and write up a pattern this season. The handspun I am using is so thin that I’m hoping it ends up as a lightweight layer more than a thick colorwork sweater. I was trying so hard to find a way to knit it top down with steeks to have both colorwork in the round and easier fitting, but it just wasn’t working. Also, if you’re steeking the armholes, that kind of prevents you from trying it on anyway, so bottom up with steeks it is. I’ll follow the general construction of my Erving pattern, but I don’t like the extra fabric at the underarms, so I’ll attempt a modified drop shoulder.
Handspun Dagmar Jacket
Ugh, I wish this was possible to do before before Rhinebeck, but alas it just isn’t going to happen. My plan was to spin these “party mud” batts I prepped for Tour de Fleece, and then knit this. But of course, I spun EVERYTHING ELSE i prepped for TdF and left these for later. I just started spinning them, and knitting is taking over, so there’s no way this will be finished yarn in time to be a finished cabled cardigan for Rhinbeck, but the plan was to wear this with my Fleecemonger shirt! It’s ok, I can always wear my Oregon cardigan and save this for next year.
And maybe finishing some WIPs…?
Handspun Seafoam Cables
This has been sitting on my needles since the test knit for this pattern! It just is a bit of a slog, and I had been forcing myself to only work on this for a while, which killed my knitting excitement. So it’s on hold. But I’m hoping to slowly make my way through it. I’ve already finished the sleeves and collar, so there is almost no thinking left, just knitting a million of the same cable in the round for a million inches…
The yarn is cool though. It’s handspun from Honer och Eir fiber. I’m realizing I’m really into this like multicolored brown right now and so many of my sweaters look very similar. Maybe I need to knit that red Nutiden cardigan next…
Self-drafted Chunky Cabled Cardigan
This kind of just happened on a whim. I think I was sick of the Seafoam Cables and wanted to just start something. It is self-drafted and inspired by this image I saw on pinterest:
The yarn is some Daylights mill ends from Harrisville I got years ago, so I think I was feeling like let’s just get this outta here. I can’t tell if it will be oversized in a good way, or wayyy too big. But all that is left is the sleeves and I have just been too overbooked to do the math.
Jane Stafford Double Weave – 4 shaft
This has been sitting on my loom for probably over a year at this point. I have since learned I am NOT a 6 yard warp girlie. I don’t mind setting up the loom, and actually kind of like that part the best, so going forward I definitely need to keep my warps closer to 3 yards and under (4 hand towels is sort of my max attention span). That being said, I do love seeing how the colors interact and always enjoy weaving it when I do! It just doesn’t call to me so I have to have a day that feels very open. Hopefully with the seasons changing and gardening work getting slower, I will have more time for this.
Self-drafted Double Weave
I started this project when I took a week off to focus on weaving (which really turned into a week of just getting the house more in order, but some weaving activities did take place!) It is just two plaids in a double weave window formation, but it is sort of my proof to myself that I could understand the structure enough to draft it. I’m excited to weave it, it is just so hard to sit at the loom sometimes. Knitting has been pulling my attention wayyyy more.
Whig Rose + Handspun
I remember the first time I saw linthegrey on Instagram weave whig rose with her handspun and I was just in love. I have so much handspun that is awkward single skeins and would love to do a sampler of just one large-ish repeat of whig rose per skein. I would keep each one separated by some tabby/open warp to then use them as wall hangings, sewn into pillow covers, bags, etc.
Bathroom Coverlet Towels
I have this plan to paint our downstairs bathroom with a coverlet design similar to the above all over the walls, and I think it would be really cool to make wovens to match. I want to make a set of hand towels to start, but I also would love to make matching fabric to cover a hamper. I also have always wanted my Italian cottolin hand towels from Gist (they no longer make/distribute the yarn and I’m SAD) as full towels, so maybe if I like the fabric enough for the hand towels I could do that as well. In general, I’m really excited about making custom handwovens for my house, and this goes with my THEMED room plans in general.
Other things I’m thinking about
- Knit ringer tees / 50s sweaters
- duplicate stitch / silly shirts
- filet crochet for the home
- black handspun – turtleneck, stripes, hebridean cables
- modern fair isle / cult fair isle
- colorwork in mohair
These prob don’t make a lot of sense to you but the mean things for me and hopefully more coming soon…