I’m going to start putting my finished spinning projects on the blog, mostly so I have a record of them. Here’s that golden yellow Cormo I’ve been working on over the past few weeks, all spun up, washed, and dried.
That’s just a little more orangey than in real life, but it’s more of a harvest gold. It’s difficult to get that color to photograph well with incandescent light and a flash, and it’s January in Washington, so a good outside sunny shot is out of the question. I need to build me a light box. Here are the details:
Finished Spinning Project:
Fiber: Cormo roving, purchased from Apple Rose Fibers on Etsy. This was 8 ounces of roving, nicely prepared. There was a bit of vegetal matter in it, mostly bits of hay or straw, easily picked out.
Wheel Or Spindle? Spun on my Schacht Matchless, using the Scotch tension set-up. I used the fast speed whorl on the larger groove, I think that would be a 13:1 ratio.
Style of Spinning: Style? Who, me, style? I spun this using a worsted style of spinning, mostly a short forward draw. Mostly. I’m still new enough at this that I occasionally get a little off track. It’s a two ply.
Yardage/Yarn Weight: This ended up being somewhere between a heavy fingering weight and a light sport weight.. I got about 850 yards from this.
What I Plan To Make With This: I think this would be a great shawl. It’s very soft and squishy, and would also be good sweater material, if I had several times as much of it. Though it’s a little soft for a sweater, it might pill like crazy. I have in mind this shawl. Rav link here, for you Ravelers.
What I learned: Well, how to answer that one. I’m so new at spinning that everything is a new experience. This was my first Cormo. I have another whole bag of this in a pretty bright aqua color, too. Every fiber has been a new experience to me. This drafts differently than the merino stuff I’ve mostly been working with. It’s not difficult, just different. It’s sproingier to draft, and either the fiber was well-prepared, or I’m getting better at drafting. I didn’t have to do much fiddling with it or pre-drafting at all. I just pulled it out of the bag and started spinning. The worsted style yarn I ended up with is lovely, but I’d like to try this fiber again using a long draw technique.
I also learned not to judge the yarn until it’s all done. This looked like a twisty overplied mess before I finished it, and I was almost tempted to run it back through the wheel to unply it a bit. I soaked it, snapped the hanks a bit, hung them to dry, and it all looks beautiful.
In case you’re roaming around my blog looking for something specific, I’ve started categorizing the new posts. There’s a drop-down box over in the right menu bar that will get you there. I’ve done this with all the posts since I moved the blog, and I’m slowly working through the older posts, moving photos and cleaning up links. “Finished Spinning Projects” is the newest category!
Your yarn is beautiful and I think it will make a beautiful shawl. Great job.
Oh, that will make a lovely Seraphim! I made one several years ago – it was my first lace shawl, and I really enjoyed it.
For $20 plus shipping you can get yourself a collapsible light box with case and white, black, red, and blue swoops. Easier than making one…
Wow – it turned out great!
That yarn is really pretty…for not being PINK! LOL I look forward to seeing your FO with this yarn. Whatever you choose to make, be it the Seraphim Shawl or something else, I bet it will be beautiful.
By the way, for us non-spinners, could you maybe explain your process (or whatever it is) in “people-english”? I got lost in some of your details. Maybe that’s what’s putting me off about learning to spin…I’m doing well to learn knit-ese, much less the entire spinning vocabulary!
Just lovely!
looks wonderful to me!
I agree that Cormo is very “sproingy” !
Blogs are such a fantastic medium for documenting learning! Good for you.
So is your DH as bummed as I am about UNC’s performance so far this season? March Madness ™ is so close…. Hope they turn it around!
That’s my favorite knitting color, bar none–that goldy/orange. It would make a beautiful shawl.
Lovely yarn. I also enjoyed your description of the process, and am looking forward to seeing the finished shawl.
I love your “finished spinning” details! Beautiful orange yarn!
That will make a beautiful Seraphim shawl. I used that pattern some time ago on stash yarn, and I wish I had tried it with a yarn I liked better. It is my favorite shawl for curling up and watching TV. The pattern is very well written.
Oooh, that’s beautiful! Nice work!
Hello there,
Well we are working on our trip for the fall. As I know you have traveled quite a bit overseas, wanting to get your opinion on travel insurance? Is there one you would recommend over the other? Right now we are checking out Access America, but we also are looking at Travel Guard. Don’t wish to break the bank on this but see pros and cons on both. We looked into Travelex, but they are extremely high.
Thanks in advance,
Liz
Oh yum!! Beautiful craftswomanship!! It reminds me of the insides of butternut squash. Hubby cubes it up, adds cumin, curry, cinnamon, orange peppers, and sautes it, then slaps them into flour tortilla shells. That Cormo looks good enough to eat! I think it will look great in the Seraphim. I love oranges, rusts, bricks, and ambers but never find them in LYSs.
I’ve been cautioning against picking up a new hobby, but after seeing this, I might turn to spinning, too. 😉