Sonia Makes Things

Another hobby blog

[soniamakes]

I regret choosing the long version of the Sophie Hood to cast on but it’s working up nicely so far. I even made some three ply red wool yarn from the merino sample my dog chomped into chunks.

It’s very “could a depressed person do this?” I’m feeling better but yesterday was a struggle.

This pattern is very good for zoning out with a good audiobook though. I’m almost finished reading The Lonely Castle in the Mirror.

[soniamakes]

I changed my mind, and swapped the hood pattern. There were a few reasons behind the change. Using this hand spun yarn makes a dense fabric and, looking at the projects where folks used thick yarn, I didn’t really like the effect. I don’t think it would be nice to wear… but, also, the cast on was really annoying. I didn’t want to hate the project right out of the gate.

So, instead, I’m making the Sophie Hood by Petite Knits:

I made all of this before 9am. Is a very simple repeat, which is very refreshing. I have memory issues so this helps.

I’m still planning to embroider it with Palestinian motifs. I also have these blue dyed teeswater locks for fringe!

I think it’s going to be great!

[soniamakes]

This morning I knit my first actual gauge swatch from my hand spun yarn. I used 7 mm needles, and it hasn’t been blocked because I’m not loving the way the fabric feels. I’ll have to try going up a needle size.

It’s a dense fabric. I’m not sure exactly what drape I want for the hoodola but this feels like it isn’t enough drape. But I’m happy with how the yarn itself performed! It’s very pleasant to work with.

I also looked up a formula for adjusting knitting patterns to fit your actual gauge! It is simple. You knit swatches until you like the resulting fabric, measure it, then divide it by the gauge in the pattern to get a ratio. You then multiply all of the stitches in each step by that ratio to get the number of stitches to work. That is the method I’m going to try!

[soniamakes]

I’ve decided on a pattern for knitting up the hand spun yarn I made with the indigo Corriedale wool. Behold, the Hoodola by Laura Nelkin:

I think it’s in my skill range with a few new techniques to learn as well. I’m tempted to embellish it with some wool tatreez just to be extra.

Speaking of my hand spun, I knitted a little of the over spun and uneven stuff I made a few days ago when I was figuring out how to use my wheel. It knit up surprisingly well!

I might be able to use it for something after all!

[soniamakes]

Letting the singles rest over night made for some really smooth plying (also, knowing how to ply helps!)

This is working up into a DK weight yarn! There’s going to be a LOT of it. I can’t spin any more today because the footman ties snapped again.

I’m also thinking about what I’ll spin next month for Tour de Fleece. I have my eye on some cream natural undyed Corriedale that would make a nice cardigan.

[soniamakes]

Before I forget, fabric samples I ordered last month finally arrived! The idea was to get some greens in textiles that would be suitable for each season, and all natural fibres.

From the top, there are two cotton poplins, two mid weight European linens, and two cotton fleece samples.

Of the three fabric types, I think I like the feel of the linen best. But the dyes look really nice on the poplins.

The real test is to see what these look like next to my skin. I don’t wear green usually, but I’m told it would look nice with my colouring. I guess we’ll see!

[soniamakes]

I watched some tutorials on plying, realized I was doing literally everything wrong! lol it’s all good. I have useable yarn! I made this up this morning to sample the spin.

Lessons were definitely learned! I’m really enjoying this. I hope to get enough to make a hat for winter. I think a nice worsted weight would be perfect.

[soniamakes]

Cleaning while disabled is not a good time. I’ve been at this since Monday. It’s a very low energy kind of day but I only have four days left to finish this deep clean.

The tiny electric spinning wheel arrived yesterday. It’s so bitty! And fast. I got a yarn in about twenty minutes or so. An hour for a two ply.

I even filled my first bobbin! Drafting from the fold helped a lot.

[soniamakes]

Yup, I am pretty sure that the Corriedale wool I’ve been using to learn spinning all this time is, in fact, compacted if not felted. This explains why I can’t manage to draft easily no matter what I do.

I’m going to try spinning from the fold.

If it turns out that my problems with drafting stem from compacted fibre I’m going to be relieved. I hear streaming is useful. Any tips on how to get compacted wool top to relax?

[soniamakes]

In the middle of an epic cleaning of the apartment. One of my achievements so far is setting up a little weaving corner. I wasn’t using all of the kitchen table anyway.

I clamped it down to make it ready to warp the next time I want to get weaving. A little kindness for my future self. And yes, I did tie the diaries with a white ribbon because I can.

I also have an announcement to make. I’ll be making my speculative poetry debut in Strange Horizons! I’ve had a lot of trauma based insecurity around writing poetry. I stopped writing it for around twenty years. If you want to follow my poetry journey, I have a Tumblr blog all about that at @babriyeh

[soniamakes]

Friends, I figured out how to use my spinning wheel yesterday! The solution was as simple as replacing the leader with some number 10 crochet cotton. I was exerting exactly the same amount of tension on the bobbin as the driver and brake bands combined. That’s why there was no uptake!

It is slightly over spun but I was able to ply and crochet with a little as a sample! Progress is being made right here! I am making this yarn up to use in a crochet hat for the winter, so I’m spinning the singles in S twist.

[soniamakes]

Paying the pupperoni tax:

This is Millie, the duchess. Destroyer of craft supplies. We have reached an accord at the spinning wheel.

I’m still not getting any take up. I think I’m not giving the bobbin enough drag so the leader is just spinning around. But I tried the merino today and managed to twist some into a tiny length of yarn! I really like how smoothly it drafts. I think it’s my new favourite wool to spin.

[soniamakes]

I’m still working on spinning wheel tension. It was too tight and now it’s too loose. Really need to find that sweet spot.

Some samples of merino arrived. There it is contrasted with a little bit of the Corriedale I’ve been learning with. It’s so soft you can see it clearly in the photo. The dye is a little streaky and not true to what it looked like online though.

I have a lot of work to do around the apartment so I don’t know how much making I’ll be able to do this week. I might just continue to practice spinning with my twine until I can get the tension right.

[soniamakes]

I am still practicing my spinning. I went too quickly yesterday and jumped into spinning with the Corriedale wool I normally spin with drop spindles. It wasn’t a great idea!

This looks fine but most of it turned out extremely over twisted. I guess I have some art yarn now. I’m tempted to try to unspin it. I’m sure that I don’t have the skill to do that well though. Not yet.

But using this spinning wheel is so much fun. I’m very glad that I brought it home.

[soniamakes]

I fixed the spinning wheel! In the end, it only cost 5$ in supplies too.

I only needed the cotton twine. Worked so beautifully! As I was adjusting the tension, the leather ties for the footman broke. They were incredibly brittle after all of those years. After worrying for a moment that I’d have to order new ones from Quebec, I realized I could try my theory that the cotton twine would work just as well…

And it did! Next plan is to practice using the treadle for a bit. Once I can go smoothly in both directions, I’ll see about winding a leader onto the bobbin. I’m using Jillian Eve’s tutorial here as my guide:

[soniamakes]

I have a spinning wheel! It’s so bitty! That suits me just fine, since I am also small.

I started the TLC treatment on her. There’s work to do but nothing I can’t handle, I think. It came with loaded bobbins. I cleaned one out and removed the yarn barf. Needs a dusting and new strings.

Behold the charming… I think that’s the tension peg? With a blue bead holding the broken brake band in place.

My dog, Millie, is very intrigued by the leather thongs on the bottom. I’ve wrapped that whole bit up in scrap cloth. So far, she has lost interest.

I might have to unwrap it each time I spin.

Maybe some leg warmers for just that bit are in order?

[soniamakes]

So… I’m taking this little one home tomorrow. It’s a Kromski.

My first spinning wheel, formerly part of the decor from my old local yarn shop.

Needs a new dive band which shouldn’t be a problem. I’m very surprised and delighted!