It’s 2 degrees F this morning in North Idaho with no shortage of snow
so the wool shirt Henry asked for last spring
that I finished yesterday,
is still just the thing.
His shop does have a wood stove,
but one wall is an old sail
and to actually get work done,
wool layers are essential.
so the wool shirt Henry asked for last spring
that I finished yesterday,
is still just the thing.
His shop does have a wood stove,
but one wall is an old sail
and to actually get work done,
wool layers are essential.
A boatbuilder by trade,
Henry is also the son of a spinner
and a couple of years ago
he designed a spindle
that just happens to be perfect
for the yarn I like to make.
Henry is also the son of a spinner
and a couple of years ago
he designed a spindle
that just happens to be perfect
for the yarn I like to make.
It’s called The Hepty, and I’ve blogged about it at least twice...
Indeed, many of the spindle photos on this blog are of Hepty #1
which I’ve used almost exclusively since I snatched it out of Henry’s hands two years ago.
(Once in a while he makes a few to sell-- the Heptys
in the photo above are waiting for their very own spinners--
and since I was visiting I got to try them all...)
At any rate, from Henry’s first casual request for a shop shirt
there was no question as to how I’d spin the yarn.
Indeed, many of the spindle photos on this blog are of Hepty #1
which I’ve used almost exclusively since I snatched it out of Henry’s hands two years ago.
(Once in a while he makes a few to sell-- the Heptys
in the photo above are waiting for their very own spinners--
and since I was visiting I got to try them all...)
At any rate, from Henry’s first casual request for a shop shirt
there was no question as to how I’d spin the yarn.
Since almost every knitting project begins with fleece,
I ordered one from the Ortmann’s in Wolf Point, Montana.
Their marvelous fine fleeces have been a staple (pun sort of intended)
of my spinning life for years (Cormo, Polworth, Debouillet),
and this time I chose a Targhee/Debouillet cross--
out of curiosity and a desire for something both next-to-the-skin soft and wearably robust.
The fleece was (and still is), lovely.
I ordered one from the Ortmann’s in Wolf Point, Montana.
Their marvelous fine fleeces have been a staple (pun sort of intended)
of my spinning life for years (Cormo, Polworth, Debouillet),
and this time I chose a Targhee/Debouillet cross--
out of curiosity and a desire for something both next-to-the-skin soft and wearably robust.
The fleece was (and still is), lovely.
 |  |
About 20 microns, it is soft and silky with enough integrity that my fingers
don’t feel like they are covered with sandpaper when I touch it
as sometimes happens with superfine fleeces.
don’t feel like they are covered with sandpaper when I touch it
as sometimes happens with superfine fleeces.
 |  |
It has, indeed, been a pleasure to work with at every stage
An early sample helped me to decide that the fabric I envisioned -
fine, light and very stretchy— would begin with three ply yarn.
fine, light and very stretchy— would begin with three ply yarn.
Of coruse I was disposed to want a three ply,
as it is so easy to chain the singles from my spindle onto a plying stick
(at left in the photo below), and then add twist when plying back onto the spindle.
—note: I wrote about plying sticks in the same February 2, 2016 blog post linked above, so no need to click again if you clicked on that one!
as it is so easy to chain the singles from my spindle onto a plying stick
(at left in the photo below), and then add twist when plying back onto the spindle.
—note: I wrote about plying sticks in the same February 2, 2016 blog post linked above, so no need to click again if you clicked on that one!
The joy of this technique is that I can spin and ply each spindle full of yarn
with the tools at hand, wherever I am.
with the tools at hand, wherever I am.
By fall — I had spun about 380 grams (13.57 oz)
I never did count the yardage, but I was pretty sure the sweater would be less than a pound.
Lobaria Pulmonaira (lungwort lichen), from a particular spot near our cabin
provided the dyestuff.
I went there for a few solo days in early December,
enjoying the full circle satisfaction of dyeing on a wood cook stove
using the same aluminum pot in which I dyed my first yarn ever,
while living in the tiny house you can see a couple of photos down,
back in 1985.
provided the dyestuff.
I went there for a few solo days in early December,
enjoying the full circle satisfaction of dyeing on a wood cook stove
using the same aluminum pot in which I dyed my first yarn ever,
while living in the tiny house you can see a couple of photos down,
back in 1985.
These lichens work best for me when there is direct contact,
but I didn’t want bits of lichen in the skeins
so put the yarn in a net bag
and the net bag in the pot with the simmering lichen.
but I didn’t want bits of lichen in the skeins
so put the yarn in a net bag
and the net bag in the pot with the simmering lichen.
The color was not as even as it would have been had I let the skeins float free,
but it is luscious nonetheless,
And certain amount of a abrash can be a fine thing
on an otherwise unadorned garment.
but it is luscious nonetheless,
And certain amount of a abrash can be a fine thing
on an otherwise unadorned garment.
The structure is a simple top down raglan in the round,
all in stockinette stitch, which means i could read while knitting— always a plus for me.
all in stockinette stitch, which means i could read while knitting— always a plus for me.
The pattern is the shape of Henry with numbers based on the yarn I had made.
The final garment weighs in a 295 grams (about 10.5 oz)
| It actually fits me (with a little stretch over the hips and extra long sleeves), so perhaps the next one will be me shaped, as I have 85 grams left over, plenty of fleece, and a spindle that likes to be used.  |  |
But this one is Henry’s.
He has things to make in his shop.
He has things to make in his shop.
