A finished object and some yarn…
Over the holidays, I finally finished my other mermaid fingerless glove. I have been wearing them pretty much non-stop since I finished them… especially with this ridiculously mild winter we have been having here in Boston.
Have been very busy spinning- I finished the merino/ silk blend that Casey bought for me for Christmas, from Mind’s Eye. It took me a little to get used to it but I think I did okay for my first yarn.
I think there was about 4 oz in each bundle and he gave me two.
So this beautiful stuff…
became two bobbins of singles…
which became YARN. 
It is not as shiny and luscious as it was in fiber form- little disappointed about that. I think it being a two ply made it a little shinier though… Now what can I make with it now? I don’t really know how much it is- I am guessing it is about 400 yards…
I have been using a few books to help me get even this far with spinning. I particularly like this one, Spinning Designer Yarns by Diane Varney. It tells you some basics but assumes that you know the basics about spinning.
I also have been using the second, Hands on Spinning, by Lee Raven. That one is particularly good for people just starting out. Has lots of information starting from the beginning- using drop spindles, etc. to getting your own wheel.
The third, Color in Spinning by Deb Menz, I just got in the mail yesterday. It looks like it will be very helpful when I start thinking more about plying different colors together and… eek! dyeing my own fiber. (You knew it was coming, didn’t you…) It is a huge book- I was surprised how detailed it is and it seems to have great pictures and diagrams.
Hope these recommendations come in handy to someone starting to learn to spin. I had to pick though a bunch on amazon before I found those three. I am sure there are others that are wonderful- I just like those in particular.
January 9th, 2007 at 1:12 am
Your yarn looks awesome! I like the Lee Raven book as well, I’ll have to check out the other one you mentioned …
January 9th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Drool!!
January 9th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Good Stuff!!
Too funny… those are the exact same three books I own on spinning!
January 9th, 2007 at 11:49 am
i need to meet vicky! and see marshall/forbes clan of course
January 9th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Lovely darling just lovely.
January 10th, 2007 at 9:49 am
I love that blue so much…
January 10th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Gorgeous stuff. I’ll have to bookmark those for later. Thanks for the tips on del.icio.us. by the way, I’ve been loving it every since.
January 10th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
your yarn is totally fab! it look so good that i want to eat it. a wheel is *such* a wonderful gift. and i loved your christmas photos. that dog, heis the cutest ever. i’ll stop gushing now.
January 12th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Wow, that is so awesome that you spin your own yarn now! How fun!
January 13th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Hey JESS! YOU ARE A WINNER!!!!! Come tell me what you want for a prize!
January 14th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Gorgeous mitts! I would wear them non stop as well. Congrats on your new addition (spinning wheel that is).
January 16th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Is that the merino tencel from Mind’s Eye? It’s gorgeous, and your yarn really looks great – so even and balanced.
I’d say no need to knit it up immediately – it’s fun to admire your hanks of handspun a little while before using them
January 17th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Love your Mermaid fingerless gloves. How many skeins did you use?
January 30th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
The yarn looks beautiful!
Twisted Sister Sock Workbook is probably the most important in my spinning book collection (absoloutely no sweat dying, and even helpful when spinning with someone else’s dyed colorways), and Color In Spinning is second. Both highly recommended!
May 4th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Your fingerless gloves look great! Would you tell me where I can find the pattern?
May 29th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Your fingerless gloves are the best I’ve ever seen!!First place in my book!!