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Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way

985 replies

lazylinguist · 12/08/2021 17:44

A thread for all woolly crafters, from total beginners to old hands! Previous thread here

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lazylinguist · 09/10/2021 21:59

Well, lazy I hope your DH didn’t have designs of his own for that space

He's occupied those two big spaces with his 2 enormous, inexplicably noisy and expensive fish tanks for 7 years in the current house. It's my turn! Grin Yarn isn't noisy. And it doesn’t need someone to come and look after it when you go away. Grin

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FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack · 09/10/2021 22:17

Grin I have the Kiwi 3 and I think it's brilliant, I wanted one that would fold up for easier storage and I bought it new. However, since you're in England you'd have no problems getting a second hand one of any type, there seems to be always fairly new ones going on the Facebook group I'm on called Spinners in the UK Marketplace and they're usually collection in person.

m.facebook.com/groups/1046007922083052/?ref=group_browse

I think Ashford is a great brand and the bobbins and replacement parts are so easily available. There's also loads of shops that will let you try out ones in store, I got mine from The Threashing Barn and they were really helpful. They suggested another brand that also folded and could do jumbo and art yarns but it was so much more pricey that I couldn't justify it. I think they're in Yorkshire, or somewhere near there...

MerylSqueak · 09/10/2021 23:07

He's seen the writing on the wall @lazylinguist!

Nice one @FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack Grin

lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 07:04

Thanks Flavia! How much use do you get out of yours? I think I would very much enjoy using one, but I'm wondering things like how easy/expensive/time-consuming it will be to make my own yarn, and therefore how often I'll want to do so rather than just buying yarn etc. I guess what I mean is that I feel like I need to want to do it because I'll really like what I produce, rather than that it's 'a nice thing to do' iyswim!

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lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 07:07

He's seen the writing on the wall @lazylinguist!

Grin On the upside, he seems to think spinning is a nice thing to do and said that a wheel would look quite nice in the house. He even said 'Oh that's not too bad" when I told him how much they cost Shock.

Flavia - I've requested to join that FB group!

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lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 07:09

Gah - I've been awake since 5:30 for some reason. I'm going to be knackered by the time I drive home at 4!

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FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack · 10/10/2021 09:53

Excellent, see in in the group! Grin

Well, I had excellent intentions but it's mostly a hobby in itself rather than a method of making yarn to knit with tbh. I did buy 500g of John Arbon fibre because the fibre is £5 per 100g whereas the yarn is more like £15 and I'm spinning it up slowly so that's a long term project. In the meantime I can swap out the bobbins for more quick fun stuff if I get tired of it.

The thing is that you can replicate a 3 ply worsted spun commercial yarn but it takes ages and isn't as fun as a quick woollen spun 2ply to me. Maybe that's my inexperience and general lack of patience though.

I have a fairly big bag of handspun now, I went and hoked it out so here it is! I've knitted a Carbeth cardigan with my own yarn which was hugely enjoyable. I do have intended projects for a fair bit of this yarn and I'm going to use the scraps for a very multicoloured cowl at some point.

I like the sound of your DH, buy one quickly before he decides it would be fun to keep spiders or lizards instead 😂

Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way
lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 18:34

Oof - I'm back and I'm exhausted from all the concentration! Photo of the view from outside the spinning studio. Photo to follow of the very rustic yarn I made. Grin

Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way
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MerylSqueak · 10/10/2021 19:19

Wow! That's lovely. Where is it?

lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 19:27

Yes, beautiful isn't it? t's just outside a village called Croasdale, overlooking Ennerdale Water, not far from Cockermouth on the Western side of the Lake District National Park.

The spinning teacher has set herself a challenge to spin on top of each of the 214 Wainwright fells. She takes a small tent and her folding wheel! She's done 130 so far.

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lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 20:09

My two skeins of very rustic yarn Blush I think I might make a couple of crochet table mats out of it.

Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way
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MerylSqueak · 10/10/2021 20:17

Oo I think that's rather nice!

lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 20:22

Thank you! Spinning is much harder than it looks Grin

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lucysmam · 10/10/2021 20:31

I bet it's satisfying though lazy to have produced your own yarn? It sounds like you've had a very interesting weekend.

I'm still scrolling for a jumper pattern, nothing's jumping out at me but this green is definitely destined to be a jumper for me 🙄🤔

InTheNightWeWillWish · 10/10/2021 20:44

That’s such a pretty view lazy and well done for making your own yarn, that’ll make lovely table mats.

I dragged DH into B&M today and I found their yarn section. DH muttered something about my gravitating to the yarn Grin (he should just be thankful the retail park didn’t also have a hobby craft)! I bought some ‘cuddly’ wool, forgetting that fluffy/cuddly wool means you can’t see your stitches! So I’m currently doing the pattern by feel and counting as I go. DH tried asking me a question earlier as I was halfway through a row and he just got a glare Blush

FlaviaAlbiaWantsLangClegBack · 10/10/2021 20:45

Oh that’s like a photo from a tourist board lazy! So incredibly beautiful!

Your yarn looks great! Table mats would be a lovely reminder of your course too.

NiceCardigan · 10/10/2021 21:12

I’m impressed lazy - rustic is good!

sophs29 · 10/10/2021 21:17

@lazylinguist you've been about 10 minutes away from where my DPs grandparents live! He was born in Cumbria and when we've been up there I can't get over how breathtakingly beautiful it is!
Your yarn looks lovely and I agree placemats would be a great reminder!

lazylinguist · 10/10/2021 22:12

Thank you for all your kind comments about my rustic yarn! Placemats it is then.

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lazylinguist · 11/10/2021 15:10

Eek - dh has just found out that PIL have bought me a day's beginner spinning course for my birthday Shock. They were really pleased with their idea until they saw my FB post saying I'd just been on one. I need to work out whether to swap it for another course or maybe phone up and see if it could be tweaked to be suitable for nearly-beginners (depending on who else is attending, I guess!).

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NiceCardigan · 11/10/2021 15:27

Are spinning course like buses Lazy? There are none around for ages and then two come at once!

lazylinguist · 11/10/2021 15:33

Looks like it, @NiceCardigan Grin I'd be happy to go to another beginner's one if I could just do loads of practice on the wheel, but I don't want to sit through a load of basics about what all the bits are called etc!

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lucysmam · 11/10/2021 15:49

I'm having a bit of a dull moment, I think...I'm considering frogging the two bands of red in the LFC scarf, and reducing them slightly, or I think it's going to be rediculously long.

None of the ends are sewn in yet so the frogging's not a problem; my brain just isn't computing how I'd then reattach the two sides together without an obvious seam - would I just use a row of hdc as a seam or...? Confused

I've marked my pic where I mean I was thinking about reducing it, to see what you all think. There are just over 100 rows to go, if I carry on as I am.

Knit, Crochet and Natter 6: Where there's a wool there's a way
lucysmam · 11/10/2021 16:00

I've just measured it with dd1; it'll be about 170cm long when it's done, if I do the other 2 blocks of solid red on the other side 🤔

lazylinguist · 11/10/2021 16:14

I like a long scarf, personally! What size person is it for? Grin

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