Spinning Weekend Catch Up

I had a lovely long weekend which started last Thursday (Anzac Day), flex day on Friday and then Saturday and Sunday. On Thursday, I drove for about half an hour to pick up my Tarra Carousel that I purchased on Ebay recently and then spent part of Thursday and Friday cleaning and oiling my three latest spinning wheels to get them ready to start using. A trip to Bunnings found some suitable jute to use as drive belts and then I managed to get all three up and spinning!

On Friday afternoon I practised some spinning on my Wee Peggy wheel to try and get my yarn thickness a bit finer and more consistent. I had some yellow and pale yellow wool rovings that I used.

All I can say is that it’s going to take a lot of practise to get where I want to go! Believe it or not this is actually a bit better than my first lot of handspun yarn. The close up photo makes it look quite thick (that’s my excuse anyway 🙂 ).

All wound onto the niddy noddy….not much there but I will have two skeins.

Two skeins….just need to soak them and hang out to dry before they can be used.

Another close up photo…I quite like the two colours together.

I had a little of the pale yellow left over so I spun it…..more practise!

Yesterday I went along to the first get together for the Redland Spinners and Weavers that was held at The Artist Tree. There were only three of us there however there was not a silent moment for the whole two and half hours we were there! That’s one thing that women can do so well….meet and talk and bond.

Michelle was spinning on her Ashford Traveller wheel and I was astounded at how fine her yarn was. That is what I am aspiring towards. She spun so effortlessly…the wheel was just gliding around and there was an aura of calmness and serenity just watching her. Along with a natural talent she has, there’s lots of practise there as well.

I took along my knitting (a shawl in garter stitch so I didn’t have to concentrate on the pattern) and Gillian came along and gave me lots of hints and tips as I asked a myriad of questions. I found out the Queensland Spinners and Weavers open day is 26 May so I will have to put that in my diary.

I was all fired up today so I got out my Tarra Carousel and tried her out. This is the result….still trying to get my yarn a bit finer. I find I’m going along quite well and then suddenly I think about what I’m doing and I get all flustered and confused…my foot starts pedalling faster, I have trouble drafting the wool and have to stop….take a breath and start again.

Check out the nasty thick bits and where the twist is a bit too tight! Sigh! As I was spinning this I was saying to myself “I must spin nice and fine like Michelle”. It doesn’t appear to have worked….maybe next time.

I love spinning on my new Tarra Carousel….she is such a beautiful wheel to look at and spins like a dream. Why do I have to take such close up photos….they only enhance the irregularities in my spinning!!

Just to finish off…I’ve been knitting a couple of things for a friend’s grandchildren…a baby boy due any minute will be getting this cute little Mock Cable Hat and Mock Cable Socks made with Patons Big Baby 8ply.

And his big sister who is about 13 months old will be getting this cute pink Ribbed Pumpkin Hat made with Ashford Tekapo 8ply.

Now I MUST go and do some ironing that has been gathering over the last month!!! I hate ironing….I would much rather be spinning or knitting.

Until next time….

Melanie

More Adorable Knitted Baby Hats

I’ve been having so much fun knitting these adorable baby hats. The results are almost instantaneous as they don’t take long to knit up at all. I found all but one of these patterns on Ravelry…..such a wonderful source of patterns for knitters and crocheters alike.

This little hat is from the pattern Three Textured Baby Hats that features three hats of which I have made two. This one is the King Charles Brocade pattern. I used this lovely pink Bella Baby Honey DK yarn which is so incredibly soft and snuggly. The pattern definition is quite striking.

This is the second hat from the same pattern called English Diamond Block. It is knitted from Patons Big Baby 8ply in a lovely mid green colour although the camera has captured the colour as blue. Both these patterns are knitted from the brim up and are so easy once you’ve got the hang of knitting with dpns which I now have.

This intricate looking pattern hat is called Baby Leaves Hat and is designed by Paula Dean Nevison. This pattern took a bit more concentration but if you look closely you can clearly see the leaf design. Very clever I must say. I used Patons Big Baby 8ply in a nice bold red colour which would suit either a baby boy or girl. The hat starts from the crown with 8 stitches – 2 stitches on each of four needles….a bit fiddly to start with.

Because I loved the Mock Cable Baby Hat that I blogged about previously, I decided to make another one using Patons Big Baby 8ply in this lovely soft baby blue colour.

I just love this pattern so I entered the words ‘mock cable’ in the pattern search engine in Ravelry and found this adorable pattern called Mock Cable Baby Socks.

I used the same yarn to make a hat and sock set. I couldn’t believe how quickly each sock knitted up compared to knitting socks for big people!

Now this hat is the pièce de résistance. The pattern is from the ‘Knitting: 100+ Patterns Throughout the Year: 2012 Day-to-Day Calendar’ and is called Ribbed Pumpkin Hat. It’s sized for a toddler so I’ll be giving it to a little boy called Reid who turns one in July this year. Isn’t it just as cute as a button!

The pumpkin hat is made from Cascade 220 Superwash which is a pleasure to knit with……so soft.

I loved this hat so much I decided to adapt the pattern to make a pumpkin hat for a newborn so I cast on 70 stitches (instead of 80) and only knitted the ribbed section for 4.5 inches as opposed to 5.5 inches for the toddler size. I’m so happy at how it has turned out.

I used Patons Big Baby 8ply using pale blue for the main part and white for the top. This hat is sooo easy to make. If you know how to cast on, knit, purl, knit through the back of the loop, knit 2 together and cast off, you can each make this hat. Plus, of course you also need to know how to knit with 5 dpns.

And of course, I had to make a pink and white hat too…

Did you notice the five rings on the brick? If you look closely you’ll see ‘1956’ as well. That’s right this brick was made especially for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games which makes it 57 years old this year!

How about a red and white hat….reminds me a bit of Christmas.

And just to finish off…..here’s a collection of all the baby hats I’ve made so far. I love them all and can’t wait to see them on two little babies.

I probably should make a couple of jackets and finish the baby pram blanket I started but I’m having so much fun knitting these hats. Luckily, I’m knitting for two babies. At the rate I’m going they’ll both have a hat for each day of the week! And that’s exactly how many I have knitted to date!

Talk to you soon. Have a wonderful week….

Melanie