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 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 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.

Threading my loom for a handwoven shawl/stole

For my next project with some of my Handspun Australian Bond Somemore Fleece, I thought I'd weave a shawl/stole. I want this shawl/stole to be 18 1/2 inches wide on the loom, so I've measured off the area on my loom, to show where to start the threading and where to end the threading. I've already threaded 121 threads through the reed, and I need 67 more threads, to finish off the width. This will give me 188 threads on this shawl/stole.

Once I have this done, I will start threading the heddles for the design I want to weave. Then all I will have to do after that is tie off the back and front of the loom and set up the treadles. Then I can start the weaving process. I will take pictures when I have the loom warped.

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.

First Snow fall of the season

While sitting in my chair in the livingroom crocheting an edge on my tri-loom shawl, I looked up and saw it was snowing. The flakes were just little flurries at the time. Then later when I looked up the flakes had grown in size.

As the day progressed and the edging on my shawl started taking shape the ground outside turned white (roughly 2 inches), and the trees glizzened with white. My backyard now looks like a picture postcard.

Tomorrow we'll have to shovel the driveway before we leave to go and get groceries for the week.

Tri-Loom Shawl

Well, I today off this shawl and took it off the loom. Once I had it off the loom I then crocheted around the 2 sides to give it some stability. Then I placed it in the sink and washed it, when I finished washing it I squeezed out as much water and soap as I could and then rinsed it in fresh water. Once I had that done I then squeezed out the water again, then I rolled it tightly in a towel to get more water out. When I had done that I then laid it out on my lap and started crocheting my decorative edging. I used some of my Majestic Sky Merino Silk in the lace edging as well as some of my left over Handspun White Merino Silk. I didn't put a lot of lace edging around this shawl just enough to give it that little extra something.

I need to take a picture of it and when I get it taken I'll add it to this post.

Weaving on my Tri-Loom

I started weaving on my 3 foot Tri-Loom last week. I had a skein of Majestic Sky Merino Silk that had only 179 yards to it instead of 232 yards like I have listed on my website. So I thought I'd see how a small shawl would turn out with this yarn.

I'm weaving a plain weave for this shawl instead of anything fancy. This is because I'm still learning how to do a basket weave on this loom. I haven't quite got the hang of that type weave on this loom and a plain weave is just easier right now. I almost have it finished and probably would have finished it sooner. However, sitting on the floor and weaving (due to my table being full with my 20 inch table top loom), is very uncomfortable after a while.

When I'm finished with the weaving I'll take it off the loom and crochet around the 2 bottom edges like I saw done on wildharefiber's tri-loom shawl. My shawl will be much smaller then her shawl as she wove her shawl on a 6 foot tri-loom and mine is being wove on my 3 foot tri-loom. I'm not sure though what contrasting color I'll start with for the lace edging though. I do have some some white handspun yarn that I can use with some more majestic sky merino silk.

First things first, though finish weaving it and take it off the loom.

Spinning Ginny's Handspun Yarn and Other Gifts

Here at Spinning Ginny's I'm up at the crack of dawn Monday through Friday. I start off knitting first thing in the morning. Then I move onto Spinning, Weaving, and crocheting. Then I'm back to knitting again, before the day is done. Occasionally, I get in some soap making as well. Mostly I start working on that in the fall when its not so hot. I sometimes even do a little dying of yarns, but that too doesn't happen very often.

Right now I'm knitting on a shawl, and 3 pairs of socks. Well really only 2 pairs right now as all my DPN's are being used. The Shawl I'm knitting on is called a Cat's Paw Shawl and I actually started on it back in June. This shawl is coming along great, and as of this morning I now have 453 stitches on my needles. I need to knit with the Cat's Paw pattern until I have 485 stitches. Then I'll change over to an Old Shale pattern to give the bottom of the Shawl a lacey edge.

Now, the socks I'm knitting on are for my Mom and Brother. I still need to start on my Mom's second pair, but need to free up some DPN's before I can. I have the cuff finished on one pair of my mom's socks and 18 rows past the cuff of Stockingnet stitch. I also have the cuff finished on my Brother's pair of socks with 18 rows past the cuff of Stockingnet stitch. These socks that I'm knitting on right now are being knitted with Lang Jawoll Cotton Sock Yarn.

Spinning time comes normally around 9:21 give or take a few minutes. I usually spin for 1 hour and 36 minutes. I love to spin up new colors of wool as well as ones that I have spun up in the past. I have spun Merino, Coopworth, Blueface Leicester, Corriedale, Falkland, Colonial, Camel down, Llama, Alpaca and Merino/Silk Blends. I love the feel of each one of these and look forward to spinning every day. I knit scarves, shawls and socks from some of my handspun yarns.

Weaving time comes right after I finish spinning. I weave for 1 hour and 37 minutes. I love to weave Dish Towels, Scarves, and Table runners. Right now I'm weaving on some Dish Towels and have the first Towel finished and the second one started. I'm weaving these on my 36" floor loom right now, as my 20" table top loom has a project on it as well. My small Triangle loom doesn't have anything on it at the moment, nor does my Tapestry loom or my Inkle loom. I just haven't had time to work on them yet. However, I will get to them one of these days.

Crocheting time comes after lunch time and I usually crochet for 1 hour and 39 minutes. I love to crochet Doilies, Shawls, and Afghans. Although, I haven't crocheted any Doilies in a couple of years. I only just completed a Crocheted Stole back in June and listed it in my store. Right now I'm crocheting on a Small Throw and its about partially finished. I'm usinig Lion's Brand Handspun Yarn on this Throw and the Stole I finished and have listed in my store was made from the same yarn, just a different color.

Around 4:00 pm I usually go back to knitting again, but this time on Socks. I stop around 5:30 pm. Then its time for Dinner and after dinner I'm back to knitting on socks again until bedtime.

Ginny

Crocheted Rectangular Shawl

Crocheted Rectangular Shawl
Originally uploaded by http://www.flickr.com/people/38484177@N04/

I started crocheting on this Shawl May 12th. I haven't crocheted in over 2 years but thought this would be a nice project to get me to pull out the crochet hooks again.

I used Lion Brand Homespun Yarn for this shawl and thought it turned out really nice. I have never used this yarn before and thought it would be nice to try out.