The nice thing about having 2 spinning wheels is that I can easily work on more than one project at a time. I set aside the Minstrel, with the Blue Faced Leicester and spent a couple of days spinning up the Indigo dyed, superwash Merino. I skeined it off and soaked it this morning. It's a fairly tightly spun, nicely even skein, with about 280 yards of yarn. I'll sample before I turn it into socks but I'm guessing it will be a 54 stitch sock, rather than 60 stitch sock. There seems to be a tad more loft in this yarn than in a commercial sock yarn. I was considering trying toe up socks with this yarn but think maybe sticking with a tried and true top down, flap heel as I'm not fond of the fit of short row heels. Once it's dry, I'll sample and go from there. I'm also considering doing the toes and heels in a second colour, using a commercial sock yarn for durability, however I may just run a strand of toe/heel yarn along with the blue. The nice thing about the near solid colour is that if I do a fancier pattern, it should show up nicely. 
The tea towels are washed. I tossed them in the washer and dryer while still in a full length, right off the loom. When they were dried, I ran a small zig-zag stitch along each side of the marker I'd used between each towel. I used # 10 crochet cotton, as it was handy and shrinks at about the same rate as the 2/8 cotton. They're cut apart. I just need to iron them and hem them. I swear that takes the longest of all the steps in weaving! They'd have looked quite awesome in my previous kitchen!Next project? Well, I have some sewing to do. But on the loom? I have the project which was supposed to be on this time, a structural plaid, which might just end up being a shawl. I also have a hankering to try my hand at double weave. I'm a little concerned about all the 1/3 and3/1 shaft combos on the counterbalance loom. I wonder if I should set up the old jack loom for the double weave project? Here is where some advice would come in very handy.
sorry, no weaving advice from me - that would be like the blind leeding the seeing:)) but the blue yarn is lovely! I prefer to knit socks out of semi-solids rather than stripes and whatnot - because I prefer to knit a pattern, not just have a colourful result!
ReplyDeleteehm - leading, not leeding:))
ReplyDeleteOh, you put me to shame. I can't even keep one spinning wheel busy these days. :o The blue is gorgeous though. Glad to know about the #10 crochet cotton; easier to find locally.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful yarn, and I'm not a fan or toe-up either. I like a good solid heel flap.
ReplyDelete