Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Derith's Handspun Hap Shawl



It has taken more than two months, but I finally spun about 2000 yards of fingering/laceweight CVM (California Variegated Mutant) fleece that I bought from White Barn Farm this spring. Very fine, next to the skin soft, I find that I am continually enamored with this type of fleece. I carefully washed the locks in mesh bags, combed them with my new English combs, and spun them on my new Alden Amos electric wheel.
I am a very impatient knitter, unable to wait to spin it all first, so this was a spin as you go project, I would finish about 200 yards of two ply, knit it, and then spin some more.
I created a garter stitch entrelac center that had no right or wrong side, and fined tuned the sizes of the squares to make them actually square. For my yarn and needle size (5 US) it ended up 22 stitches and 30 rows, which made for some creative joining of the entrelac squares, but I just wrote out what worked and followed it repeatedly. I love the black edging (something I found in
Thrihyrnur og langsjol / Three-cornered and long shawls by Sigridur Halldorsdottir) from School House Press.
The finished shawl ended up 70 x 38 and is quite nice, just in time for Derith's Christmas present.
Blocking DID take all my T-pins!

Now I want to do another with a more distinctive center pattern, I am so pleased with this one.

6 comments:

Nan said...

That shawl is lovely. I know that she will love it. I hope that I can spin a consistent lace-weight soon. I'm in awe.

Anonymous said...

Hi- it's Grumba from PLurk- love the evenness of your spinning and knitting! It's a beautiful project and I really admire your stick-at-it-ness! I'm a knitter but not a spinner- and no ambitions that way, either! Looking forward to seeing more of your creations!

Kasha's Knits said...

absolutely GORGEOUS! There really is something about a raw fleece that makes you want to be able to wrap up in it like that.

christina said...

That turned out so beautifully! Just gorgeous.

old lady said...

You did an absolutely FANTASTIC job! The design is striking - the finished product breathtaking.

Adrienne said...

So beautiful, and spinning the samples that you sent have been fantastic. I'll have to invest in one of their fleeces next year!