Monday, September 17, 2012

spinning along...

the cowl is finished and it actually fits. i had my doubts. i really need to start making a gauge swatch before knitting...especially something that needed to fit over my head.
click on the images for a closer view.

knitted cowl with handspun yarn...color is a little more subtle in real life

i started knitting a scarf with the spun yarn that was left over and am now having to spin up some more to finish it. it will be a gift. i'm getting a bit bored with this colorway. i just purchased some cotton roving and that will be my next project. it's a bit more difficult to spin than the wool so there will be lots of experimenting and practice needed.

spinning up more yarn to finish this scarf

i did get a bit of stitching in this week. just a patch to cover up a stain on my favorite t-shirt.

two old t-shirts helping each other to stay alive
 and the most amazing thing that i discovered today...my indigo plants that never got more than 2" tall with itty-bitty leaves are actually producing seed heads. i will collect the seed if it develops and plant them just to see what happens. maybe the second go round will be better, if the seeds are viable at all.

indigo going to seed


have a great week and concentrate on what's positive out there in your world.

17 comments:

Nancy said...

The cowl is gorgeous! Look at you just spinning and knitting away! I'll be watching what you do with cotton (I'm allergic to wool, so it interests me!) Love how your shirts help each other! And a very good parting thought :)

Peggy said...

Your cowl is lovely, Deanna -- a whole new kind of wonderful, I bet, to have spun the wool, too. Sweet little plants -- they don't know they're small! It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Jeannie said...

Your cowl is gorgeous. I have made a couple and love them when it turns cold. I had never thought of spinning cotton until you mentioned it. I look forward to seeing your results. Your little indigo plants remind me of the little engine that could.;) I hope the seeds are viable. Wishing you a beautiful week as well. xo

Deb G said...

Oh that is so funny...maybe you'll have a mini version of indigo? The indigo I grew my self made it to about 10 inches. Love the mending and the knitting.

kaiteM said...

That's a gorgeous cowl, i can't imagine how you could be over that colourway as i think it's lovely. Good luck with the indigo plants but you might just be propagating more miniatures :(

karen said...

your cowl is beautiful and I love that you are still pushing...trying new things to spin, experiment with. Good luck with the Indigo.....

Rachel said...

That cowl looks wonderfully cosy. Just right, as the weather begins to turn..

Nat Palaskas said...

Gorgeous cowl for a gift. I love that color combination. You really doing a great job with spinning. Enjoy - Hugs Nat

henrietta (aka ani aka zani) said...

you must have posted this after i went to mum's since i did check last night. i had a good cheer when i read that you had to start doing gauge swatches - omg - i took a class, when i work i could take free classes at the school, which was a great benefit, on re-designing patterns to fit you properly, it was a great class but we HAD to do gauge swatches, and rightfully so, but they were the bane of my existence. by the time the gauge swatch got knitted, "damp stretched,etc" i always thought i could have half the darn thing knitted - but it is a practical thing (and i think this is one big sentence so far) and then you have all those little swatches you can patch into a sampler throw....breath, really like see how you knitting is coming along...now that we woke up to 48 degrees - time to think wool. cheers.

Janet said...

Hey - love the colors in your knit cowl!

The shirt is great - love the star - great idea!

We'll see if that indigo will take next year - I'll be interested to see that.

Anonymous said...

I can't stand knitting swatches for gauges, which is part of why I now only knit scarves! The cowl looks very soft and pretty!

You stay positive, too!

handstories said...

cowl- gorgeous
scarf- love seeing the same colors in a different texture
favorite clothes becoming friends- just swell
swatching-ugh

Tammie Lee said...

wonderful that you are growing indigo...i will have to look that plant up. i always thought of indigo as in dye coming from beetle bugs.

such a gorgeous cowl!

jude said...

i see a bit of indigo bloom in that yarn... hilarious, how small the pants are and still flowering...maybe these plants are just for a little blue?

Anita said...

A gorgeous cowl! am happy for you that it fits.A bucket bag also sounded good but I wanted to see this one as a cowl and I don't know why,may be because of the colour.I don't like to make gauge swatches sometimes but I do make because it helps me to figure out whether I like the pattern with the colour I choose,am crazy I guess!

blandina said...

Oh Deanna, making a gauge swatch...I should be doing this too sooner or later!
The colour of the wool is beautiful, you must have such a feeling of fulfillment starting from roving and spinning your own yarn.

Joe Madl said...

your cowl is beautiful! as to the gauge swatch...as a long-time knitter, i never knit gauge swatches (though there are those who would scoff at this). maybe it is because i've been knitting for so long that i know i knit to gauge and dispense with the exercise entirely...or maybe it is simply because if the item doesn't fit, i give it to someone it does. ha!

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