It has been pointed out to me that Bodley's Cardigan is bottom-up, not top-down as I said in yesterday's post. It is still all one piece, though, not sewn-in sleeves like on my Faerie Ring sweater.
Catching up with myself
So at some point I'll actually be able to write about what I did today on my NEWT, not about what happened days or weeks ago. That time is not yet come, however.
The Long Draw
I am not using a real long draw because my fibers--especially the brown ones--are just plain too short most of the time. But usually working with rolags you get to do the long draw. What's that, you ask? Well, let me tell you. No, better yet, let me show you this lovely YouTube video, made by the same talented spinner whose video I showed yesterday.
See how awesome that is? Usually when I spin I am pushing tiny bits of fiber out into the spin, and a lot of the time the resulting yarn is 'worsted' rather than 'woolen.' For yarnies, this can be a strange concept because 'worsted' is also the name of a weight of yarn, the kind you might use for a heavy sweater or blanket. If you go to the yarn section of your local craft store and pick up a skein of Red Heart SuperSaver Solid yarn (and then put it down quick! you do not want to be touching such icky yarn long-term), that thickness of yarn is called 'worsted-weight'. But a worsted spin is different. In a worsted spin, you're only pulling out a small amount of yarn at a time. It's the way I usually spin.
Here, I'll let the KnitGirllls show you.
There've been times I've managed a real long draw with this fiber, pulling out 4-5 inches at once (not quite what the nice lady in the video manages, sadly, but still, pretty good. But mainly I've been spinning a sort of worsted-woolen combination, which is still squishier and softer than the worsted I usually spin. I think the yarn is still going to be a bit itchy--I may eventually line this sweater--but the first skein came out pretty!
A skein! a skein!
And yes! I am almost caught up with myself. I finished that first skein just two days ago, and I washed it and set the twist yesterday. On Rav's new (still in beta test!) handspun feature you can name your skeins, so this one is named DovieJay. The other six skeins will be named after my dorm mates in the Elder Dorm in Ravenclaw Tower.
Also, SarahtheEntwife kindly loaned me a niddy noddy, which made a big difference in relieving my frustration around skeining this sucker up. Usually I use my swift for that--but I get so many more bits of yarn that pop back on themselves and get all curly-crazy that way than with the niddy noddy. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy one.
And a lazy kate.
And at least 3 more bobbins.
I know what I'll be asking for this Christmas, I guess.
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