Lately I’ve been knitting nothing but fingerless mitts. I love knitting fingerless mitts and plan to continue knitting them for the foreseeable future. But my handspun is calling to me. So I got my wooden swift out of the closet,
Wooden swift, ready for action!
and pulled the “mashed potato” stool into place.
My ball winder is at home atop the “mashed potato” stool.
This wooden step stool belonged to my MIL. She kept it in the kitchen behind the door that led to a small hallway to the back door. Her house was old and so was her kitchen. There wasn’t a lot of counter space, so when she made mashed potatoes, she pulled this stool out and sat the hot pan of potatoes on the top of the stool while she mashed them. I never saw her use the stool for anything except mashing potatoes, so I have always called it the mashed potato stool. The stool now sits in my dining room/office next to my computer desk and is the permanent home of my ball winder. My MIL would be pleased to know her mashed potato stool is now an integral part of my yarn-winding “station.” 🙂
After getting the swift set up and the ball winder in place, I wound some of my handspun yarn into yarn cakes.
A basket of yarn cakes. Yum!
Each yarn now has a designated knitting project assigned to it.
Roses in Her Eyes, a 2-ply spun from a batt from Bohoknitterchic,
Yarn cake on a plate
is designated to become a pair of fingerless mitts. I haven’t decided for certain, but I’ll probably use a simple 2 x 1 or 3 x 1 ribbing and keep it very plain so that the beauty of the yarn will shine through. The yarn has a lot of shine, sparkle, color, and texture. It’s a bit thick and thin, and a little slubby, so I plan to keep it simple. I hope it’s as much fun to knit as it was to spin.
Vintage Roses from Corgi Hill Farm will become a Downtown Cowl.
A Polwarth and silk blend
And finally, the pièce de résistance is this beautiful monochrome gradient from Spinneretta’s Studio
A lovely monochrome gradient of Polwarth top
that I spun and chain-plied to get a beautiful skein
Just look at the beautiful color transitions
that is now this beautiful yarn cake.
So lovely all wound up
This yarn needs a pattern that is suitable for a gradient yarn, and I think The Age of Steam and Brass is perfect.
I haven’t decided which handspun project to cast on first, but in the meanwhile, I will finish Anne’s Little Twist Mitts
Mitt #2 is well underway.
and probably cast on yet another pair of fingerless mitts. They are so quick and easy, and very satisfying to knit. And even better, they are wonderful to wear. If you’ve never worn a pair, give them a try. I think you will love them as much as I do. And if you have never knitted a pair… Do. It. NOW.
And be sure to visit Tami’s WIP Wednesday to see lots of other hand-crafted goodies.
All Kinds Of Knitting 