For WIP Wednesday, I'll be discussing what I've made in the last week. I juggle multiple projects at once, and sometimes I'll not work on a project for a while. This may mean a lot of new starts, or continuing a project I've not mentioned before because it's been a while since I've worked on it.
Spinning with spindles
I really enjoy spindle spinning. I'm using two spindles to spin the singles of superwash Cheviot which I dyed myself. I've got 600g total for a sweater spin, and 14 mini braids making up the fade set. I've so far spun four mini braids. Each spindle contains one of the singles, so I can ply them together. Rather than spinning one then the other, I am finding this method easier to maintain the colours. I don't think the spindles can hold much more, so I think I'll be plying once I finish this mini braid. I'm hoping this means I can do the entire sweater spin in "four" spindle loads (in inverted commas because I'm doing two spindles at once, so technically eight, but there'll be four turtles {this is what the cop is called on a cross arm spindle} per single... it makes sense in my brain) which is great.
Woodland Mittens
I cast on a new project. Sort of. I've actually cast this on a few times and ripped it back, but this time I'm sticking with it. I'm working on the woodland mittens kit from KnitPicks, with the aim of doing one pair a month for the next few months. We'll see about that, but I can dream. I have however swapped out the Bittersweet Heather (the darkest brown which makes up the foundation of the colourwork) for Hobbii's Silly Socks Disco yarn in black. I was finding the Palette yarn from KnitPicks to be a bit flimsy. It's wonderfully soft, but it could be improved with a higher twist on both the singles and the ply. It's just not durable at all. I'm hoping that by adding the Hobbii yarn the mittens will become more durable. I'm keeping the colourwork the same, using the KnitPicks kit, while also striping the ribbing (one row of black, one row of the intended yarn).
Sewing a bag
I'm very new to sewing, but I am enjoying it nonetheless. I'm just not very good at it yet. My set up also means that the sewing machine causes me a lot of back pain, so I can't use it as often as I'd like. I am working on a patchwork bag, and I've done the lining. I'm using two Moda charm packs - one is a pack of solids called Kansas, the other is Slow Stroll - in shades of red/pink, green, blue, and mustard. I'm having a great time sewing it, but it will be some time before I can finish it. I'm also slowly working through cutting the fabric for a spooky quilt that I designed myself. That's right, we're adding another craft to the list, ladies and gentlefolk. It is a bit of a struggle to cut the fabric, so I am taking a lot of breaks.
Spinning with an espinner
I haven't used my espinner in a few months, so I picked up King Wenceslas (yes, that did take me multiple attempts to spell correctly). This was a blend from the 2022 World of Wool countdown calendar, and I bought some more to make a shawl from it. It's a beautiful blend of dark blue Corriedale, white tussah silk, and red Eri silk. It looks like lapis lazuli.
Socktober knitting
I cast on some socks for Socktober. That means through October, I'm planning to knit a pair of mittens, and a pair of socks, and do all my other projects too. Overachiever? Maybe. Do I get a gold star for being one? I'm using two yarns from Hobbii, their dark brown from Black Friday, and I'm doing stripes of Swinging Trapeze. I really like Hobbii's sock yarn, I love their Halloween sock yarn too. It's soft, but unlike the Palette yarn from KnitPicks, I can't pull it apart with my hands; it's very sturdy. I got to the heel, which is when I was comfortable trying it on... and nope. It didn't fit. The sock was too small. I had to frog back everything. Instead I cast on some leg warmers using the same yarn. Likely they'll be more used for cushioning than warmth, just like my other pair, but I'm happy with them so far... and they didn't fit either. This time I'm going to keep the stitch count and go up several needle sizes, maybe to 3mm instead. That's a problem for future Ellana. Fuck that guy.
I want to do this weekly blog post for a few reasons. Firstly, I lose track of what I'm doing. I'll start a million projects and then start a million more. I want to start finishing projects too. Secondly, I want to show just how much and how little I do. I have several projects on the go, and I love how slow crafting is, but jumping between so many projects keeps my brain happy, but also means that I'm not really finishing... You get the idea. I have hope, I just don't know if that hope is going to last.
For now though, I'll see you next week
E