Busy Week

Tuesday I started packing up all my stuff to get ready to go to the Chilli Cook Off on Saturday. Wednesday, I was making labels for items that didn't have them yet as well as taking pictures of those same items.

They yesterday I recieved my box of White Cormo Fleece (3 lbs). Compared to the Australian Bond Somemore Fleece from Gleason's Fine Woolies, this fleece was/is really dirty and full of VM. I knew it would be though, so I'm taking my time in really getting this fleece clean.

Last night I washed up 11 fleece locks to see how clean it would come. I am using the same technique I used on my Australian Bond Somemore Fleece. I had 2 1/2 buckets of Goop left over from Australian Bond Somemore Fleece. Last night I used up the 1/2 bucket on the 11 fleece locks of Cormo. I rinsed out the Goop twice before putting it in the Suave Clarifying Shampoo for 10 minutes. Then I rinsed out the fleece in clear luke warm water 4 times, squeezed out the excess water and laid them out on a towel, and blotted them with another towel. After that I laid them out on my racks to dry over night.

Today I carded up 9 Fleece locks from last nights washing and now have 3 batts of really nice, soft, white cormo fleece. The other 2 locks I've set aside to card tomorrow. I also washed up 18 fleece locks today and they are now drying.

I have done a little bit of spinning in between all the packing, making labels, and washing of cormo fleece. I managed to get another skein of 2 ply lace weight yarn plied up on Tuesday, then washed and hung it to dry. Yesterday I wound it to measure out the yardage, ounces and grams. I hope to take a picture of it tomorrow and add the yardage, ounces and grams then.

A day of Spinning

It was just so pretty outside, that I just couldn't resist it any longer. I had to take my spinning

wheel outside and spin. So outside I went with my bucket of Australian Bond Somemore Batts, my chair, bobbins, and spinning wheel.

I spun up 2 1/2 batts in a little over 3 hours, of course my 2 bobbins were half full when I started spinning today. Tomorrow I'll be ready to start plying skein #7 of 2 ply yarn.

I had to laugh when I saw this picture, that my hubby took of me spinning. I was really concentrating on my spinning when he took this picture, that I didn't hear him take the picture. The other thing that caused me to laugh was my lily white legs and ever graying hair. I guess I've been inside far too long and that explains the white legs, as for the graying hair;......well, I have no excuse for that. LOL

Somemore's Handwoven Australian Bond Shawl

I took two pictures of this shawl in two different ways, to show it off as best I could. This shawl is Beige/Brown in color and was wove on my Schacht 36" Baby Wolf Loom. This shawl measures 91"L x 16"W plus fringe. I choose the pattern "A German Bird's Eye" to weave this shawl. This is a Sheep to Shawl. The fleece that I used to make this shawl with came from "Gleason's Fine Woolies" and their sheep "Somemore".

Handwoven Shawl Day 10

Well, I finished my Handwoven Somemore Australian Bond Shawl today. I washed it and hung it outside to dry. I think I made it a little too long and probably could have made it a little wider. Oh well, I didn't really have a pattern to go by, other then the pattern that I wove into the shawl.

I wove on this shawl today for 3 hours and 18 minutes before I finished weaving and started taking it off the loom. Whenever, I weave another shawl, I will know how wide to make it and how long too. I still have some yarn left over from the 5th skein. I need to rewind that yarn and then figure out, just how much yarn I did use in this shawl. I will have to post that tomorrow though when I will take another picture of the shawl. The different shades of the fleece really give this shawl a nice shadow pattern IMO.

Handwoven Shawl Day 9

This skein is actually my sixth skein of 2 ply lace weight yarn. This skein has 358 yards, and is 2 1/2 oz or 72 grams and has 17 wpi. I had washed this skein a while back, but got involved in weaving on this shawl that I forgot about it. Then after I started weaving and was getting close to finishing up the 4 skeins I started with for this shawl, I knew I needed to get busy and figure out the yardage, ounces, grams and wpi, for this skein. So today I did just that, then made up a label for it (mainly for my purpose), so I wouldn't forget this information and would have it for later, when I needed to total my yardage for this shawl.

Once I did all this, I began weaving and got into my weaving zone (LOL). I did have to back track a couple of times, but this was because I was switching shuttles and had to make sure that I had the pattern going right. After 2 hours and 37 minutes of weaving, I had my 4th skein completely finished and skein you see above wound on the shuttle and 4 rows wove with the new skein. The apron rod is now showing on the back roller, which means that it won't be long now before it starts to move over the back beam.

Handwoven Shawl Day 8

Yeah, I fixed loose weft thread, and got busy weaving and playing catch up. I wove for 3 hours and 16 minutes today and I'm now half way through skein #4.

The shawl is really moving along quite well and my front roller has quite bit of the shawl wrapped around it.
The remaining warp that is still on the back beam is slowly being moved off the roller as I weave. I don't know yet if I'll have to wind up yet another skein for this shawl. I do have the skein for it if needed, I just haven't figured out the yardage and grams yet.

Handwoven Shawl Day 7

Today was an Oooopsy day. I started my day with cleaning my house, doing laundry (in other words being a good girl). LOL Then I dyed some polwarth roving and had to hang it to dry in guest bathroom shower. Once I did that I went to my spinning/weaving room to weave and everything was going okay;.............until I saw a loose weft thread 72 rows back (this was back almost to where I had started weaving today). So I began the process of taking each of these rows out 1 row at a time. I had to stop because it was starting to drive me nuts. So tomorrow I'll go back to it with a better frame of mind and finish taking out the remaining rows, and then begin the process of reweaving those rows and move forward.

Handwoven Shawl Day 6

Yes, I know its Sunday and I really shouldn't be weaving today, but I just had to come upstairs do a little weaving. I started out winding up skein #4 into a center pull ball and then weaving with the remaining yarn from skein #3. Once I had skein #3 all used up, I began winding yarn onto my shuttle from skein #4 and started weaving again. All in all I spent 1 hour 16 minutes weaving today.

Handwoven Shawl Day 5

It was another hot one today and I had all the windows open in my spinning/weaving room and my ceiling fan going as well. That helped to keep me cool during the 2 hours and 3 minutes, I spent weaving on my shawl today and even then I didn't quite finish using up skein #3. You can see in the picture I still have a little bit on my shuttle. I have skein #4 laying out to be wound into a skein tomorrow. I have the treadle pattern pretty much memorized now, but still forget sometimes as to which row I just finished. So I have the treadle pattern written down on a piece of paper and taped to my loom. I always try to end the treadle pattern at the end of a pattern repeat. This helps so that when I come back to my weaving after taking a break or the next day, I know where to start weaving.

Handwoven Shawl Day 4

Today after I finished dying some roving, I headed upstairs to my spinning/weaving room and started weaving on my shawl. I only spent 1 hour and 37 minutes weaving, as it was just too darn hot to weave today (92 F outside). I have almost gone through my third skein of yarn on this shawl. This first skein was used as the first half of the warp (121 threads), and the second skein started out as the remaining warp threads ( 71 threads), and the rest of the second skein went into the weft, which I finished using yesterday. Yesterday, I started using the third skein in the weft. I will probably finish up the third skein tomorrow and start using a fourth skein.

This picture here shows the shawl now has wound around the front roller. I think its has only wound around the roller once. I still have quite a bit of warp on the back roller, so I'll be weaving for a while. I love weaving on this shawl and look forward to going upstairs to weave, even in the heat. LOL

Handwoven Shawl Day 3

I went up to my spinning/weaving room this morning and started in weaving on my shawl. I spent 4 hours and 52 minutes weaving today. There were times though that I forgot where I was at on the pattern and I'd have to take a few rows out and then redo it. I think I did this about 4 or 5 times. It was really hot here today (91F), so I had problem's with the threads sticking together, when I'd raise different shafts. I'd have to separate the threads before I could throw my shuttle. This picture doesn't really show the pattern on the shawl, so I took another picture from a different angle.

This picture shows the underneath of the shawl, as it comes around the front beam to wind around the front roller. You can see some of the pattern on the top, but really see the pattern (which is the reverse of the pattern), from the underneath.

Handwoven Shawl Day 2

Today started off with warping up 4 more threads, to give me a total of 192 warp threads for weaving this shawl. Then I once I had all 192 warp threads threaded threw my reed, it was on to threading my heddles using a 12 stitch "A German Bird's Eye" weaving pattern and then tying off both the back and the front of the loom. This shawl measures 19 inches wide on the loom. The picture to the right shows everything tied off and ready for the weaving to begin.

Once I had the warp tied off, I picked up my shuttle and started winding on enough yarn to start the weaving process. I then tied up my treadles in a 1 & 4, 1 & 2, 2 & 3, 3 & 4 pattern. The treadling is what helps to make the pattern. I'm not exactly sure just how much I wove today, as I didn't measure it. This was 7 hours and 15 minutes of warping, and weaving today.

Somemore's Waving Ribbon Socks Drying on the line

After washing them in Eucalan Lavender Wool Wash yeseterday, I hung them up in my shower to drip most of the water out. Later I decided that I'd hang them outside on the rope I dry my rovings on. It was 86F yesterday and so they dried fairly fast. I kept coming outside to check and see how they were drying. Around 4:30 pm I took them off the line and tried them on my feet and yes they now fit prefectly. These socks felt wonderful on my feet and I just know that my feet will be toasty warm this winter.

Somemore's Waving Ribbon Socks finished

I finished the socks this morning, then washed them by hand and having the hanging out to dry. I will post pictures of them later when they are nice and dry. I did try them on before washing and found them to be a little loose on my feet. This will probably go away after washing and drying them. Since this is the first time, I've ever spun a 3 ply yarn from fleece and knitted socks from I found it to be quite enjoyable. I know my feet will be warm and happy this winter.

Now I just need to finish spinning up the remaining batts into 2 ply lace weight yarn. I've begun warping some of my handspun 2 ply lace weight yarn onto my warping board. I have 1 warp finished which has 121 threads in it and I've started winding for a second warp. I haven't quite decided on a weaving pattern. Although, I have thought about an 8 stitch Rosepath pattern, stilling deciding though.

A new project begins

This project began with me spinning and filling up 3 bobbins and then plying all 3 together. I have spun a navajo plied yarn, but I had never tried filling up 3 bobbins of singles and then plying them together. I had heard that spinning a 3 ply yarn makes the yarn more rounder and durable for knitting socks, so I thought I'd give it a try. Guess what;............I like it!

On Thursday June 30th I finished plying my first skein of 3 ply yarn and washed it. Then I went back to plying up the remainder of the yarn on the bobbins for a second skein. Friday July 1st I wound up my first skein to see what my yardage and such were.

3 ply Australian Bond

Beige/Brown Sock Yarn

14 wpi

269.5 yards

3 1/8 ounces

86 grams

I found that my 3 ply yarn was on 3 wpi short of being the same as my 2 ply yarn, which is 17 wpi. I also noticed that everyone was right about the yarn being more rounder.

Friday July 1st I started casting on for a pair of socks that I call "Somemore's Waving Ribbing Socks". I then took this project with me, to my husbands Dr's appointment, to get his stitches out. While hubby was in getting his stitches removed I was knitting and managed to get the cuff finished and 1 row of the leg started, by the time hubby came out. Then after dinner that night I knit 15 more rows before going to bed.

Yesterday I knitted another 26 rows and then took the picture above. Since that picture and as of this morning I have finished the leg of the sock and started on the heel flap.

My second skein is all dry, I just need to wind it up and figure out the yardage and such.

All washed up

I did it;............I finished washing up all of "Somemore's" fleece today. This fleece arrive last Month on May 23rd. I didn't start washing any of the fleece though that day, I waited until May 24th to start washing.

The next 3 pictures are of all the fleece I have carded into batts. Now I get to have even more fun spinning up these batts. I soon will have my 6th skein spun up.

Two Buckets Full now

Well, I did it;...........I filled up the second bucket up with carded fleece. I did get to wash up some more fleece lockes today since we got back early from hubby's Dr's appointment. I might come close to my goal of having it all washed up by this Thursday but I might go into Saturday and Sunday (since Friday my hubby has surgery to remove some skin cancer). I am going to have to empty out a large bucket I was using for storing books to put the rest of the carded fleece.

I only spun up 1 batt today though, but hopefully tomorrow I'll get to spin more, besides wash up more fleece and card more fleece. I'm still enjoying washing my fleece, carding it and spinning it. I'm even looking forward to possibly (in the future) ordering more fleece. I never thought that this process would be so much fun but, in my oppinion it is loads of fun.

Filling up new Bucket

Today I carded up all 30 pieces of fleece, that I washed yesterday, your not going to believe this but, the bucket is almost filled already. I told you yesterday that it's not as big as my other bucket. Once I had all the fleece carded up, I then went and washed up more fleece, so that it could dry overnight. I don't know if I'll get to wash more fleece tomorrow or not as I have to go with my husband to Worcester for his doctor's appointment, it will really depend on how long his appointment is and what time we get home. However, if I can't wash more fleece tomorrow at least I'll get today's fleece carded and maybe even some of the batts spun up.

I don't know how many batts, I spun today but, I did fill up 1 bobbin and then started filling up the second bobbin. I'm thinking about filling up a third batt this time and then plying up the 3 singles to make a nice 3 ply sock yarn. My second project from this wool will be a pair of socks. I need to finish up my first project before I start on my second project. I know that filling up a third bobbin will give me time to do that though.

New Bucket to hold more batts

I bought a new bucket, so that I can store more carded batts. When I bought it I thought it was the same size at the bucket that's full of batts already. However, when I got it home I found that its not as tall, nor as wide. Oh well, it will still work to hold batts! I also bought another rack to be able to wash more fleece and lay them out to dry.

I washed up 30 pieces of fleece and laid them on my 2 racks to dry and then went upstairs and spun up the other 1/2 of the batt that I didn't finish yesterday. That's about all the spinning I did today though, since I did get started until late. Tomorrow I hope to spin more and card up all the batts I washed today.

My Bucket Overfloweth

You've probably heard the saying "My Cup Overfloweth". Well, now you've hard, "My Bucket Overfloweth". Here it is to prove my new saying, 37 carded batts of Somemore's Australian Bond Fleece from Gleason's Fine Woolies. I will have 5 more batts to add to this tomorrow and still have 1/4 of a bag of fleece left to wash and card.

I sat down and spun up 1 1/2 batts from the 37 batts in this bucket today, so now there's only 35 1/2 batts. I really need to pull out another bucket this size and start filling it up now. I really love how this fleece spins up like butter. It's really very soft and fluffy as batts and the yarn is soft and squishy as well. It knits up really soft too.