Wednesday 6 April 2016

Therapeutic crafting pt.2 - result!

After spinning an amount of wool of both colors, it was time to put it to good use.
I had 138 grams of grey yarn, and 110 grams of white. Total yardage was somewhat of a mystery, but I figured it would be enough for a decent project (not a headband....heh).

I have always loved the look of those fair isle knitted vests or pullovers from the 1940s, and decided that it would be a good project to test my yarn. It should be fairly quick to knit, and easy too, since there is minimal making up/ piecing together.





I wanted the design to be all my own, and pulled out my grid sketch book and dabbled away.
I ended up with this stylized sheep pattern, and then knit a test square for gauge and needle size.
Based on this test square, I could then calculate the amount of stitches for my size, and also how the armhole and neck opening would be. I opted for a V-neck, as I think it looks smart paired with a collared shirt.

I used a 3mm round needle for the whole vest, I could probably have used a 2.5mm for the ribbing, but I had no suitable round needle in that size. I knit in the round up to the armholes, and then the rest back and forth. It was very quick, and in about a week of evening knitting I was weaving in the last ends.







I am delighted with the end result! The vest is light and soft, but surprisingly snuggly and warm. It is the perfect Land girl-look that I wanted, and the sheep pattern works well as a whole. If I were to change anything, I would have made the pattern smaller. But I can always make another version later:)



It has been a fun process, and it really makes you appreciate the work that women put into knitted garments in the olden days. Spinning yarn by hand on a spindle is slow work, and any sane person uses a spinning wheel for bigger projects. But sometimes it is not about getting the object finished, it is about the process.
My spinning is still just in its infancy, and I suspect there will be lots more spinning and other woolly shenanigans in the future.


22 comments:

  1. Wow! That design is fantastic. Amazing that you did all the spinning, designing and knitting. Hopefully I'm getting together with a group of knitters so I will at least be able to knit a cardigan this year (I've only done hats and scarves before).

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    1. Thank you! Cardigan knitting will be fabulous, I bet you will get the knitting bug :) It is so nice that you can get together with others, I hope to meet some more spinners soon, as I really need to get socialized :) Best of luck with your cardi ;)

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  2. Fabulous. I love your sheep design!

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  3. Absolutely lovely vest! I hope to try spinning one day and make garments from the yarn. Thank you for your inspiration.
    Marie

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    1. Thank you Marie! I hope you get the chance to spin, it is a great hobby, and so versatile! Happy I could inspire anyone ;) Get a spindle and a small bag of wool/fibre and you'll be on your way. Best of luck!

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  4. Fabulous! I love the sheeps, just the right amount of whimsy :)

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    1. Thanks! I like the touch of sillyness in these things. The world is serious enough as it is :)

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  5. This is brilliant!! Well done on spinning the yarn and designing the pattern. I love the wee sheep!

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  6. Wow! Such a great design! Well done!

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  7. This is so creative and I love the sheep!

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  8. This is so fabulous, the fact you span the yarn and designed the pattern is mind blowing, simply gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, Wendy! I had good fun with this one :) and it wasn't all that difficult either!

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  9. Your vest turned out great! I like your pants too, did you make them yourself?

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    1. Yes, Iris, the pants are my second version of Simplicity#3688. I never blogged them, as I think they are a little unflattering on me. The heavy linen fabric is just wonderful, but the high waisted style is a little meh... But I actually liked them in this outfit.

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  10. Oh that is so lovely! I would really love to get into spinning but I really don't need ANOTHER hobby :')

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    1. Sure you do! It is great to have something to turn to, when the knitting gets dull :)

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  11. I love your whole project from start to finish :) You did a great job and the vest is awesome. I think spinning wool would be relaxing

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  12. OMG, this vest is amazing!

    At a fist glance I thought, well planes in a circle. Not bad (as I love planes). But how cute are those sheep?! They're gorgeous! And you spun the entire material? How fantastic is that? I'm speechless - and this doesn't happen too often.

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